Life “as we know it” is an interesting phrase. It indicates an unknown; a definition that is open to change. And it seems like a good strategy to have an open mind for change in this matter. After all, what is and what is not alive? MIT theoretical physicist Jeremy England, published a paper that pokes at this very question. His findings propose that life itself may be much more common in the universe than previously thought and should be as common as a "rock rolling down a hill". His idea is that, for example, a source of energy, like heat or light is set upon an inert mass, say a rock, then over the course of (a long) time, the atomic structure of that rock would change, enabling it to begin absorbing energy, thus fulfilling one of the key criteria for life. Hence, we can reason… that according to that point of view, anything can be considered alive (sooner or later)!

And life is indeed all around us. It exists deep underground. Kilometers down, where we find simple bacteria that thrive in some of the harshest of environments. We find plentiful life on our forests, oceans and even within our very bodies. It takes many, many forms. And each passing year, we discover more and more of its children.

But life is so much more than a definition of haves and have nots (ares or are nots). Life is also a collection of experiences, of emotions - and they seem to be central to our perceptions of life. Although constantly sought after, life is not made only of happiness, but of a wide horizon of different and equally important emotions. All of which we should experience, for their collective actions in our personal theaters define how well we have played our parts during our life performances. Life is all we are. And it never ceases to change and surprise us. “Life loves whoever loves life”, as a local movie director once put it. And life flows! According to choreographer Andrea Jabor; “To dance is to let life flow” Indeed.

So this exhibit also asks the viewer to not only identify what is alive and what could be alive but also to celebrate life itself. And how many ways do we manifest ourselves about life? How do we go by it? What are its phases? And what about the end of life? Are we able to create life artificially? And what if we could extend life indefinitely?

So, live life. Understand it and experience it. Noice it. Love it….because it will certainly love us back.

Oh, and for future's sake, we'll keep a light on the rock in order to see if sooner or later it sprouts a plant.