Metaspore is a nomadic research initiative aimed to foster interdisciplinary “spores” of collective action amidst 21st-century paradigm shifts. Utilizing Anicka Yi's practice as a guiding philosophy, Metaspore sculpts regenerative spaces, multi-sensorial experiences, visionary conversations, and art-science partnerships that resist predetermined outcomes and fixed identities.

In order to foster urgent dialogue between the arts and sciences, in collaboration with Stanford University, Metaspore will be hosting a full day of visionary conversations, embodied performances, and community activities. Through this event we aim to move beyond mere knowledge production, choosing instead to be fully present together, invite meaningful connections, and shift away from conventional thinking towards radical breakthroughs. This inaugural Metaspore Symposium will mark the culmination of Yi's year-long residency through Stanford Arts, where she explored Metaspore’s research areas along with a group of student fellows in her spring course, Metaspore: The Networked Sensorium.

Co-taught with Stanford arts faculty Miguel Novelo, the course explored strategies for addressing significant planetary changes by strengthening our connection to our senses and questioning our previous conditioning, which prioritized knowledge over our well-being. We sought to understand the sensory worlds of both human and multispecies “others” by breaking out of our disciplinary silos of expertise towards a more holistic awareness of planetary becoming.

To further this line of questioning and experimentation, the Metaspore Symposium 2023 will bring together an interdisciplinary constellation of speakers including: