What might diplomacy look like if rivers, forests, and fungi had a seat at the table? What if we could change how we relate to the planet—not as masters, but as collaborators within a living web of connections?

In 2025, Swissnex invited thinkers, artists, and researchers under 30 to imagine a “planetary diplomacy,” a new way of engaging with the more-than-human world. Now, Swissnex presents the opening of Imagining Planetary Diplomacy, an exhibition showcasing four visionary projects selected from over 100 submissions from around the world. From speculative lawmaking to trans-species cohabitation, from listening to the Earth’s rhythms to learning from mangroves, these projects open portals to futures where care, empathy, and ecological intelligence shape diplomacy.

The opening will feature a panel discussion with next-gen planetary diplomats, including two of the featured artists and members of the Villars Fellowship Program, an initiative by the Villars Institute to empower a new generation of systems leaders for a healthier planet.

Featured works include:

• I am Earth by Abhinay “Renny” Thummaluru | Five empty chairs, representing nature and natural elements, invite us to imagine a time when we deeply listen to the Earth, to nature, and to the silent signals already all around us.
• Blutpilz: Systems of Care in Mycelium Structures by Sulamith Tamborriello | A year-long living collaboration between the artist and a slime mold, exploring processes of codependency?, symbiosis?, and transformation?.
• Imagining the Futures of Rights of Nature by Lydia Dai, Beniamin Strzelecki, Genaro Matías Godoy González, Iqra Bano, and Pierre Mikhiel | A series of narratives envisioning pathways from today’s property-based paradigm toward futures where ecosystems are recognized as legal and political subjects.
• Tidal Movements: Thinking with the Mangrove by Yassine Rachidi — A text installation examining the mangroves of Lamu, Kenya, as fascinating biotopes and living metaphors, exploring how their intricate ecosystems can inform alternative understandings of urban growth, with water as medium of relation and encounter.

The opening of the exhibition also marks the launch of Swissnex’s Planetary Embassy in Boston, a six-month series transforming Switzerland’s science and technology consulate into a laboratory for planetary diplomacy, featuring talks, film screenings, and more—more to be announced soon!

Together, we will explore what it means to practice diplomacy not only among nations — but across species, systems, and futures.