Speed Dating with Cacti

Speed Dating with Cacti stars a cast of dozens, all of whom are experts of the present moment. Taking place in a public garden, you are passed from person to person, location to location, and led through a series of demonstrations, meditations and experiences focused on that very strange thing we call consciousness. You will spend glorious moments lying back in the quantum field, your essence spread across the cosmos, like an infinite layer of vegemite on a piece of eternal toast. Along the way you may meet:

  • A woman in the early stages of Alzheimer’s
  • A man with an acquired brain injury 
  • A group of 10 year old children with very little impulse control 
  • A couple of 8-year-olds with a few opinions 
  • A neuroscientist
  • A meditation teacher 
  • A stand-up comedian 
  • A group of walking meditators, doing the very specific “noting” technique.

Speed Dating with Cacti looks at the narrowing gap between science and spirituality, with the question of plant cognition and consciousness as the entry point. The walk explores various models for thinking about the origin of consciousness and the true nature of reality. 

This extraordinary immersive experience brings together people of all ages and backgrounds, from a cognitive neuroscientist to teenagers, in conversation with the living world around us.

Kara Ward, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (2025)

Two reliable sources of wonder – the organized chaos of nature, and the unalloyed delight of children at play – light the path.

Cameron Woodhead, The Age (2025)

A mind-bending journey through consciousness. I have walked the gardens before, but this time I truly met the trees. Science, spirit, and wonder intertwined.

Shilpi, Audience Member (2025)

Presentation History

2025
October
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria & Melbourne Fringe Festival; Melbourne, Australia

Original Credits

The World Premiere of Speed Dating with Cacti in Melbourne, Australia in October 2025 was:

Presented at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne as part of Melbourne Fringe with Co-devisors and guides to the present moment St. Martins Youth Arts Centre and their Congress team, alongside Aaqib Merchant, Alice Fleming, Darren O’Donnell, Long Prawn, Ngawang Luding, Paul Majewski, Rosalyn Oades, Virginia Antonipillai, Zia Gul Sadeqi, Vismay Agrawl, David Mesiha.

Special thanks to the guest artists and collaborators who helped in various stages of development: ADDITIVE Lighting, PONY CAM Collective, Mia Fleming, Monica Gagliano, and the many staff and scientist we spoke to as part of being in residence at the Royal Botanics Gardens Victoria.

Speed Dating with Cacti was assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body, and made possible in part thanks to the Ontario Arts Council, the Government of Ontario & grants from the Canada Council for the Arts touring programs.