AM26 Arts and Culture Brochure

Our Forests. Our Future. Featuring the artwork Forestate by Thijs Biersteker in collaboration with UNESCO Forestate turns live environmental data, a real-time portrait of the state of the planet’s forests, into a visible, tangible experience. The data-driven choreography of leaves appearing and fading animates the rhythms of loss and recovery. Each disappearing leaf represents 100 square metres of forest lost right now; each returning leaf marks the same amount gained. This shifting canopy draws directly from UNESCO-validated Global Forest Watch data. By using weekly GFW data alerts, Forestate generates an evolving, real-time image of global deforestation. As forests grow back slowly, real-time measurement of regrowth is not possible. Instead, Forestate uses the scientifically accepted 20-year average rate of tree cover gain, based on the standard 30% canopy threshold used in satellite analysis. By placing rapid loss and slow recovery side by side, Forestate reveals the widening gap in how quickly forests disappear and provides a flicker of hope by showing how gradually they return, a quiet but urgent reminder that closing this gap is essential for a nature-positive future. Credits: Data partner UNESCO Artist Thijs Biersteker Sustainably produced at Woven Studio Communication and education by Woven Foundation Studio Director Sophie de KromSoftware & Data Processing Denisa Půbalová, Thijs Biersteker Lead Technician Tomáš Potůček Construction Daan van der Sman, Tom Bekkers, Lara Rodrigues Ris, Marie Colombeen, Yoana Elazarova, Theo Rekelhof Notable Collaborators Meriem Bouamrane, Paulo Massoca Thijs Biersteker Ecological artist Thijs Biersteker collaborates with leading scientists to translate complex scientific environmental data into immersive installations and experiences that make people feel the facts. Merging scientific data with cutting-edge technology and sustainable materials results in an iconic fluid mixture between AI and mushrooms, sensors and forests, ocean plastics, glaciers and data sets and giant robotics, exhibited in museums and presented at conferences worldwide. As the founder of Woven Studio and the Woven Foundation, Biersteker and his team use the imaginative power of art to turn the complexity of science into experiences that reach heads of state and the hearts of the public. The global appeal of Woven’s work lies in its seamless movement between the artistic, scientific and political worlds. Woven brings its vision to stages such as the G20, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Art Basel and the Montreux Jazz Festival, and collaborates with partners ranging from UNESCO and LVMH to the European Space Agency and Polestar. Its vision has been shared on stages such as TED, at the United Nations and even in Donald Duck magazine. Thijs Biersteker is a 2026 Cultural Leader Image: Thijs Biersteker | Woven Foundation Arts and Culture Programme Annual Meeting 202613 Arts and Culture Programme Annual Meeting 2026 12