This multi-media installation presents a speculative journey of soybean plants from robot-assisted farm to table. Visitors encounter 3 soybean plant-robot hybrids (Soybots) navigating the exhibition space in search of ideal growing conditions using phototropic algorithms. They see a video of a small robot meticulously grooming beds, and have the opportunity to taste a selection of soy-based hors d’oeuvres created by a chef specifically for the exhibition. Connecting soybean-inspired agro-industrial utopias of the past to current desires and concerns regarding the future of nature-technology hybrids, this exhibit invites visitors to engage with possible agricultural and culinary futures.

The Taurus dexterous robot featured in the installation’s video component adresses the provocative question of what happens when culture and technology meet in the algorithmic process of identifying weeds. Traditionally used to defuse roadside bombs, the Taurus robot was appropriated by Fabian Winkler and Shannon McMullen to draw attention to the subjective and culturally inflected parts of its programming and behavior. In some versions of this exhibition, the robot’s pseudo-code is made visible to visitors similar to the sets of instructions in the conceptual art of Yoko Ono or Sol Lewitt (see the "fieldguide" in the links below).

The recipes for the soy-based appetizers in the exhibition were inspired by a prior culinary event organized as part of the National Security Garden installation. In 2013, Fabian Winkler and Shannon McMullen worked with chef Kimberly Lulay and food science honors student Amber Furrer on a variety dishes featuring soy ingredients, such as edamame, soy empanadas, tofu dumplings and soy-milk truffles. For the Algorithmic Gardening exhibition, the soy- based appetizers are presented on custom-made plates illustrating the soybean plant’s agricultural, environment and political contexts. A robotic conveyor belt extending into the gallery serves the dinner plates to exhibition visitors.