Holobiont Society delves into a complex set of issues related to hierarchies, power structures, and concepts of coexistence – such as the eponymous ecological unit of the holobiont. Initially defined by Dr. Lynn Margulis in her 1991 book Symbiosis as a Source of Evolutionary Innovation, the concept collection of prokaryotes, all of which contribute in some way to the function of the whole. In Koch’s film, the holobiont is visualized by scientific images of corals, bacteria and other symbiotic organisms. The video’s elaborate sound design (by Tobias Koch) synergizes with fragments of interviews with the biologist, feminist, and acclaimed writer Donna Haraway and the philosopher and sociologist Maurizio Lazzarato as well as the molecular biologist Scott Gilbert. Interweaving image, sound and text in a multilayered assemblage, Holobiont Society challenges current mechanisms of domination and categorization, in favor of fresh modes of thinking and being in the world.
