On the weekend of 27 September 2025, Lichtbos Eindhoven (formerly De Wielewaal Estate) celebrated its public opening with the festival Lichtbos Vibes. The event marked the transformation of a historic Philips-owned private estate—closed to the public for 100 years—into an accessible public forest. By bringing together nature, culture, and heritage, the festival actively involved residents and partners in shaping the area as an inclusive space, with a strong focus on sustainability, biodiversity, cultural programming, and the preservation of the historic landscape.
<BR>
BioArt Laboratories participated as one of the collaborating partners. Whispers from the Roots offered a carefully structured programme in which art, environmental awareness, and personal reflection were interwoven. The programme began with a guided tour introducing participants to the history of BioArt Laboratories and its ongoing artistic projects, followed by an outdoor session in the gardens, where participants explored the site and reflected on the relationship between creativity and the natural environment.
<BR>
The indoor programme featured a presentation on environmental challenges, animal communication, and the concept of the Symbiocene Forest—a vision of a future in which humans and other life forms coexist in a balanced and regenerative way. Participants then engaged in a guided reflection exercise, using targeted questions to explore their values, their relationship with nature, and their vision of the future, and wrote letters to their future selves. These letters will be preserved in a time capsule to be opened in five years.
<BR>
The programme concluded with a hands-on creative activity, in which participants painted small wooden objects inspired by the Symbiocene Forest and added personal quotes and reflections on nature and harmony. Together, these contributions form a collective artwork that was presented during Dutch Design Week 2025.