Exploring nature not as a collection of objects, but as an active, dynamic, and creative force constantly in the process of becoming.
Have you ever watched a tree slowly but determinedly grow through a crack in a concrete pavement, or a vine gradually envelop an old garden chair in a delicate, living embrace? These are not mere accidents of biology, but vivid, everyday demonstrations of a profound principle that has captivated philosophers, scientists, and artists for centuries: Natura Naturans, or "nature naturing."
This Latin phrase describes nature not as a static collection of objects to be catalogued, but as an active, dynamic, and creative force constantly in the process of becoming. In an age where we're increasingly disconnected from the natural world, understanding this concept reveals a universe teeming with agency and creativity in every leaf, microbe, and ecosystem. It challenges our very definition of life and our relationship with the countless other organisms with whom we share our planet.
The term Natura Naturans originated in the Middle Ages as a way to distinguish between nature's doing and nature's done. The Medievals coined the phrase to speak of nature's doing, quite simply, what nature does 9 . However, it was the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza who refined this concept into a sophisticated metaphysical framework that continues to influence thinkers today.
"Naturing nature" - the active, creative force of nature that brings everything into being and sustains it.
Spinoza"Natured nature" - the products of nature's creative activity, including all specific forms and phenomena.
SpinozaFor Spinoza, these were not two separate entities but two aspects of a single fundamental reality, which he equated with God. He famously stated that "whatever is, is in God, and nothing can be or be conceived without God" 8 . This was a radical departure from traditional religious views that positioned God as a transcendent creator separate from creation.
| Concept | Definition | Key Proponent |
|---|---|---|
| Natura Naturans | "Naturing nature"; the active, creative force of nature | Spinoza, Schelling |
| Natura Naturata | "Natured nature"; the passive products and manifestations of nature | Spinoza, Medieval Philosophers |
| God or Nature | The identification of the divine with the natural world as a single substance | Spinoza |
| Modes | The particular, finite manifestations that follow from the attributes of God/Nature | Spinoza |
In 2015, a unique experiment called Natura Naturans literally brought this philosophical concept to life in an unexpected setting: an empty flat in a Salford tower block undergoing renovation. Artists Mackenzie & Reed designed a durational, five-hour performance that explored whether microbial organisms could be considered collaborators and performers rather than merely passive biological material 1 .
One Week Before Performance
Arriving a week in advance, the artists set out to capture the invisible microbial life already inhabiting the empty space. They captured yeast from the air in the room to grow within a sourdough starter, left food traces to encourage mould growth, and collected dust and mud from the corners and pipes, discovering tiny insects in the cracks and crevasses 1 .
One Week
Over the following week, these collected samples were allowed to grow and develop without intervention, enabling the indigenous microbial life of the space to flourish into visible colonies and cultures.
Five-Hour Duration
Returning to the flat, the artists used a combination of live hack-microscopy, projection, and sound recording to reveal and amplify the now-flourishing microbial life. They projected magnified images of the mould, sourdough, and collected materials back into the domestic space, simultaneously amplifying the sounds of these micro-organisms 1 .
Throughout Performance
Throughout the five-hour performance, they continued to find additional micro-material in the flat to 'coerce' or 'cajole' into collaboration, creating an ongoing, dynamic interaction between human artists and non-human organisms 1 .
| Experimental Phase | Duration | Key Activities | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation | One week | Capturing yeast, leaving food traces, collecting dust/mud/insects | To cultivate and make visible the invisible microbial life already present |
| Incubation | One week | Allowing samples to grow without intervention | To enable the indigenous microbial life to flourish |
| Performance & Amplification | 5 hours | Live microscopy, projection, sound recording | To reveal the microbial life to human perception and create collaboration |
| Improvisation | Throughout performance | Seeking additional micro-material to engage with | To maintain dynamic interaction between human and non-human agents |
The results were striking. The seemingly uninhabited domestic space was revealed to be alive with activity—a teeming ecosystem of yeast, mould, and microorganisms that became visible and audible to the audience through technological augmentation. The project raised profound questions about our relationship with these life forms: were they merely passive subjects being manipulated, or were they genuine collaborators with their own agency?
Studying Natura Naturans—nature in its active, creative dimension—requires both traditional scientific tools and innovative approaches that can capture dynamic processes. The following toolkit reveals the essential materials and methods researchers use to investigate the generative forces of nature:
Allows for real-time observation of microbial growth and interaction at a microscopic level, capturing nature in the act of creating rather than as static specimens.
Makes audible the subtle, typically inaudible sounds produced by biological processes, revealing another dimension of nature's continuous activity.
Transforms microscopic phenomena into visible, large-scale images that can be collectively experienced, bridging scales between human perception and microbial worlds.
Provides controlled environments where microbial life can flourish, making visible the otherwise hidden reproductive and metabolic activities of microorganisms.
This diverse toolkit enables researchers across scientific and artistic disciplines to engage with nature not as a collection of static objects to be dissected and categorized, but as a dynamic process to be witnessed and interacted with.
The concept of Natura Naturans has found renewed relevance in contemporary thought, influencing fields as diverse as materials science, music composition, and environmental philosophy.
Helps researchers understand nature as continuous "productivity" where nothing is fixed, but instead constantly cycles through stable, unstable, and metastable manifestations 2 .
Represents a phenomenological approach to studying nature that honors the principle of Natura Naturans through immersive observation and qualitative understanding 4 .
| Aspect | Traditional Analytical Science | Goethean/Phenomenological Science |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Natura Naturata (products of nature) | Natura Naturans (process of nature) |
| Methodology | Hypothesis-testing, quantification | Immersive observation, qualitative understanding |
| Relationship to Phenomena | Separation, analysis | Engagement, participation |
| Role of Experiment | To test theories by creating artificial conditions | To create conditions for phenomena to reveal their essential nature |
| Understanding of Nature | Mechanism to be decoded | Dynamic process to be witnessed |
"The renouncing of life and immediacy, which was the premise for the progress of natural science since Newton, formed the real basis for the bitter struggle which Goethe waged against the physical optics of Newton."
Natura Naturans invites us to shift our perspective from seeing nature as a collection of objects to participating in nature as an ongoing creative process. This philosophical concept, stretching from Medieval times through Spinoza to contemporary science and art, remains startlingly relevant today.
In an era of ecological crisis, understanding nature as active and agential rather than passive and inert may be crucial for developing more sustainable and respectful ways of living.
The microbial performance in Salford, the prepared musical instruments, and Goethe's gentle empiricism all demonstrate ways we might begin to perceive and honor nature's inherent creativity. They encourage us to "pay more attention to how nature natures and beware of artifice, not least when we look at ourselves" 9 .
As we learn to listen to the different drummer in each living being—to borrow Thoreau's phrase—we might just discover that the world is far more alive, more creative, and more filled with agency than we had previously imagined. The tree growing through the chair, the whirlpool maintaining its pattern, the yeast quietly transforming flour and water—all are manifestations of Natura Naturans, the endless, productive creativity of the natural world of which we are both part and witness.