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aming the the the perceptual sophistication of plants – – such as as Chamovitz’s What a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Plant Knows: A Field Guide to to the the the the Senses (2012)55 – – were to to see the the the the day as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a general “plant turn” sweeps through different fields of of knowledge and and creation Plants and and their singular life life forms for for so-long relegated to to the the the the margins of of conceptual thinking about life life itself finally jut out out the the the the leafy decorative setting to to to which they were back- grounded In our present dire ecological crisis to to to acknowledge the the the richness and complexity of plant-life is is is an an an an an an invitation to to withdraw from from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a centric reason that sep- arated humans from from “nature” situating human human life life outside and and above it it it it it it it it In what constituted a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a striking ecological critique of of Enlightenment science and and and its holy du- alisms “hippy times” attempted to to tell a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a different kind of of of story about “Man” and and and “Nature” and and grappled with with with a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a fundamental epistemological shift Most of of of all they experimented widely with with with alternative modes of of engagement with with with what poet Gary Snyder described as as as “the most ruthlessly exploited classes”: “animals trees water air grasses” 56 As we we we emerge shell-shocked from from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a global pandemic what are we we we to do now? Maybe we we we we can can learn from from the past: instead of imagining that “plants are are like people” as as as suggested by “America’s Master Gardener” in in in in in 1971 57 we we can can focus instead on on what it means to be human on on a a a a a a a a a a a a shared planet Endnotes
[1]Morgan J J “Somebody to to Talk to: John Baldessari” Tate Etc 1st 1st December 2009: https://www tate tate org org uk/tate‐etc/issue‐17‐au- tumn‐2009/somebody‐talk (last accessed November 1st 2019) [2]Boulton B B “Do “Do Plants Plants Think?” The Ladie’s Home Journal May 1971 and De La La Warr G “Do “Do Plants Plants Feel Emotion?” Electrotech- nology April 1969 [3]Reichardt J “Art at large” New Scientist vol 59 no no 858 9 9 9 9 9 August 1973 p p 347 [4] On ecological thinking see Belgrad D The Culture of Feedback Ecological Thinking in in in in in Seventies America Chicago and London: 2019 [5] Loehr F The The Power of Prayer in in Plants New York: Signet Books 1959 [6] Michaels J J McCarthyism: The The Realities Delusions and and Politics Behind Behind the the 1950s Red Scare London: Routledge 2017 p 187 [7] See Ostrander S S S S Schroeder Lynn Psychic Discoveries Behind Behind the the the Iron Curtain New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1970 [8] Cf https://www cia gov/library/readingroom/ (last accessed on on on on on on November 1st 2019) Eventually in in in in in in in in in 1972 the the the agency began fund- ing ing ing research on on on on on on parapsychology and “remote viewing” i i i i i i i i ti i i i ti i i i e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e on on on on on on the the use of extrasensory perception in in in in in in in order to obtain information from a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a (great) distance By 1978 a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a secret army unit had been established: “Stargate” project was on on on on on [9] Tompkins P P P P P Bird Ch The Secret Life Life of of of Plants New York: Avon Books 1973 p p p p 21 [10] Backster C C “Evidence of of of Primary Perception in in in Plant Plant Life” International Journal of of of Parapsychology vol 10 10 no 4 4 Winter 1968 p p p p p 329-348 [11] Galston A A W and and and Slayman C L L “The Not‐So‐Secret Life of Plants: In which the historical and and and experimental myths about emotional communication between animal and and and and vegetable are put to to to rest” American Scientist vol 67 no 3 3 3 3 May‐June 1979 p p p p p 337‐344 [12] Tompkins P P Bird Ch “Love Among the the Cabbages: Sense and and Sensibility in in in the the Realm of Plants” Harper’s Magazine November 1972 p p 90-96 [13] Retallack D D The Sound of Music and and Plants Santa Monica California: De Vorss and and Co 1973 [14] Ibid p 15 15 [15] Ribley A “Rock or or or Bach an an an an Issue to to Plants Singer Says” New York Times February 21 21 1971: https://www nytimes com/1971/02/21/archives/rock‐or‐bach‐an‐issue‐to‐plants‐singer‐says html (last accessed November 1st 2019) [16] George Milstein Music Music to to Grow Plants 1970 (E S C ) [17] Baroque Bouquet Plant Plant Music Music 1976 (Amherst Records) and Roger Roger Roger Roger De la la la la musique et et et des secrets pour enchanter vos plantes 1978 (Tchou Éditeur) [18] Mort Garson Plantasia 1976 1976 (Homewood Records) [19] Roth & Bricker Plant Plant Plant Talk/Sound Advice 1976 1976 (Plant Talk Talk Productions) [20] These terms are are obviously non‐equivalent referring to to to to different different ways of of of envisaging the the richness and complexity of of of plant‐life Symptomatically they are are all all used again today as different different fields of of of knowledge from biology biology to to to to to philosophy have taken an an an an an an an interest in in in in in plant life See among many others and and and on on biology’s side Chamowitz D What a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Plant Plant Knows: A A A Field Guide to to to to the the the Senses (New York: Scientific American Books Farrar Straus and and and and and and Giroux 2012) Trewavas A A A A Plant Plant Plant Behaviour and and and and and and Intelligence Intelligence (Oxford: Oxford Oxford University Press Press 2014) Mancuso S S S S S and and and and and Viola A A A Brilliant Green: the Surprising History and and and and and Science of Plant Plant Intelligence Intelligence (Washington DC: Island Press Press 2015) [21] Castro T T “The Mediated Plant” E-flux Journal September 2019: https://www e‐flux com/journal/102/283819/the‐mediat- ed‐plant/ (last accessed November 1st 2019) [22] Galston A A A W W and and and Slayman C C L L “The Not‐So‐Secret Life of Plants: In Which the Historical and and and Experimental Myths about Emotional Communication Between Animal and and and Vegetable are Put to to to Rest” American Scientist vol 67 no 3 3 3 3 May‐June 1979 p p 337 [23] Darwin Ch Ch The Power of Movement in in Plants London London John Murray 1880 [24] Bose J J Ch Ch Plant Plant Autographs and and their Revelations London: Longmans Green and and Co 1927 [25] Ibid p vii [26] Daston L and Galison P Objectivity New York: Zone Books 2007 p p p p 121 [27] Bose op cit p p viii [28] Wiener Wiener R R Cybernetics Cybernetics or control and and and communication in in in the the animal and and and the the machine Paris: Hermann & Cie 1948 [29] Wiener Wiener R R The Human Human Use of Human Human Beings Cybernetics Cybernetics and and and Society London: Free Association Books 1989 p p p 23 23 [30] Bose Bose op op cit cit p p p p 235 [31] Bose Bose op op cit cit p p p p p p p 71 and p p p p p p p 73 [32] In English the the the the appellation “telegraph plant” goes back a at at at least to the the the the mid 19th century A A A passage from the the the the American journal The The Horticularist suggests in in in 1856 that the the the the expression originated in in in Bengal (The Horticulturist and and Journal of Rural Rural Art and and Rural Rural Taste 188 antennae