Arts Thread

Rhize is a speculative system that reimagines urban infrastructure through interspecies collaboration: working with plants and microbes to generate off-grid electricity. Rooted in care and cohabitation, it proposes a slower, softer form of infrastructure that works with nature rather than against it. How does it work? As plants grow, they release sugars into the soil, feeding microbes that produce electrons. These are captured using Plant Microbial Fuel Cells (PMFCs). When linked in series or parallel, the cells become modular and scalable. With just four optimised plants, Rhize can power a blinking LED every second, a London bus stop display every minute, or the city’s air quality sensors every hour.”