In “Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology,” a new installation by Bay Area creative couple Ken Goldberg and Tiffany Shlain, the artists juxtapose the timeless, organic intelligence of trees alongside products of human ingenuity. On view at Los Angeles’s Skirball Center through March 2, 2025, the exhibition is part of the Getty Museum’s “PST ART: Art and Science Collide” initiative. Stars like Diane Von Furstenberg, Nadya Tolokonnikova, and Kristen Bell made appearances opening night.

LOS ANGELES — Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time, and Technology at the Skirball Cultural Center is a mind-bending installation and learning library by the Bay Area artist duo Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg. Presented in conjunction with the Getty’s PST ART initiative, Art & Science Collide, the exhibition pays homage to the ongoing human quest for knowledge by documenting its evolution through a series of timelines inscribed over the rings of fallen tree fragments, culled from salvage yards, using the age-old technique of pyrography (wood burning). These timelines address the histories of such topics as knowledge itself, California trees, science, and Judaism.

This exhibition is a rare combination of exquisite craftsmanship and dedicated scholarship, using the ancient science of dendrochronology: tree-ring dating that uses the annual growth increments of trees to estimate their age. Featuring six large tree-ring sculptures made from salvaged wood, the works draw parallels between the past, present and future to remind us that trees and humans have always been interdependent in scholarly, scientific, artistic and spiritual practices. Trees also outlive humans and bear witness to human history.