Jazimina Creamer-MacNeil, director of “Root Song,” said the work is inspired by the way trees communicate with each other through fungal networks in a forest floor, as described in the memoir “Searching for the Mother Tree” by ecologist Suzanne Simard.
“Suzanne Simard uses all of these musical metaphors, like the forest being a symphony orchestra, and she first discovered that carbon was moving between trees through the mycorrhizal network using sound — a Geiger counter — to hear carbon moving from tree to tree,” she said. “So, I thought this just needs to be a musical performance.”
Adair said the prompt “What Now: 2026” gives artists rich ground to explore.
“It could involve reflection back to the history of the country, or history of the city. But also you could ask ‘What Now?’ very in a very present-day way,” Adair said. “What now are we dealing with?”
Adair and Sachs plan to make the “What Now?” festival a biannual event, with future festivals asking artists to respond to different thematic prompts.
ArtPhilly’s “What Now: 2026” runs in various locations until June 30.