Contribution short abstract:

This project investigates the transformative potential of (audio)visual practices in operationalizing commoning for environmental justice. Rooted in Basandja cosmotheology and Bateson’s systems thinking, it addresses Congo’s water pollution from e-waste, visualizing relational energy futures.

Contribution long abstract:

This project explores the transformative potential of immersive (audio)visual practices in operationalizing commoning for environmental justice and sustainable energy futures. Collaborators in Kinshasa approach energy and spirit—abstracted and displaced within modern political ecology—as inherently interconnected. Focusing on water pollution in the Congo caused by e-waste, the project investigates Basandja cosmotheology, which understands materials as part of a symbiotic network that includes ancestral knowledge.

Water pollution in the Congo exemplifies broader extractivist paradigms. By treating water as both a symbolic and material foundation, the project connects Congolese activists with global stakeholders to address shared ecological challenges. Artists and activists repurpose e-waste into functional, creative, and symbolic artifacts, embodying ancestral intelligence and fostering cross-border connectivity through digital and intelligent technologies.

Through partnerships, the project develops educational formats and algorithms to improve resource management, strengthen community resilience, and promote equitable energy policies. AI systems, trained on traditional ecological knowledge, explore how Bateson’s systemic vision can be embodied in VR, enabling users to experience relational dynamics between humans and the environment. This approach aligns with Bédard’s (2024) argument that integrating indigenous knowledge with AI and VR can inform sustainable energy futures.

By engaging stakeholders through participatory workshops and immersive exhibitions, the project challenges technocratic narratives and extractivist frameworks. It emphasizes solidarity, reciprocity, and relational governance, advancing “everyday commoning” (Perrotti et al., 2020). Ultimately, the project highlights (audio)visual practices as vital tools for fostering inclusive, relational, and sustainable strategies to address ecological crises and reimagine energy futures.