Page 195 - Antennae Issue #52

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One highlight of of the the the exhibit was David Hockney’s lithograph Henry at at a a a a a a a a a a a Table (1976) Placed among other works engaged with the the the question of of individuality that seems so easy to determine for for humans but much less apparent for for many plants the the the man man man man seated at at the the the table with a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a single potted potted plant plant plant could be considered lonely or or or in in in in in good company How many potted potted plants do we we we overlook in in in in in the the the the the spaces we we we inhabit daily? In the the the the composition man man and and plant plant compete for the the the the viewer’s attention in in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a space space devoid of of of objects other than a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a chair and and table table covered in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a patterned tablecloth The image became one of of of my favorites because it it it reminded me me me of of of 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 special connection I formed with an an an an an an individual plant at at Plantarium a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a conference organized by Marianna Szczygielska and and and Cielemęcka at at the the the University of of of Linköping in in in in in in the the the summer of of of 2017: Christina Stadlbauer and and and Regula Heggli invited the the the group of of of scholars and and and artists to par- ticipate in in in in in in in in in “Vegetal Speed Dating” an an an an an an exercise in in in in in in in in in intense non-verbal focus on on on on individual plants in in in in in in in in in which I I began to to wonder about the the plant’s consent of my my smelling or touch- ing ing it it it 10 I I was matched with my my chosen plant plant plant partner in in in in in the the the end but it it it has become a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a long-distance relationship since US customs law would have separated us us Now the the the plant whose name I never learned thrives in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a Stockholm apartment under the the the the care of of of of friends but it it it it had little say in in in in in its journey and relationships At the the the the opening talk of of of of the the the the exhibit on on on Valentine’s Day 2019 I shared the the the story of of of of this “Botanical Relation” of of of of mine and invited visitors to to to to speed-date an an an an an artwork or or or or cactus outside—no touching allowed Hosted at at the the University of of Kansas Spencer Museum of of Art Big Botany: Con- versations with with the the the Plant World ran from from March to July 2018 and and combined pieces from from the the the museum’s permanent collection with with with some some loans and and commissioned works in- cluding some some installations with with living plants placed outside of the the museum museum by its four artists-in-residence Ackroyd & Harvey Sandy Winters and and Mathias Kessler 11 Accord- ing to to the the the museum’s website the the the exhibit’s goal was was to to “cultivate viewers’ empathy” with plants and and this engagement was was organized around five themes: “Botanophilia” “Plant “Plant Morphology & & & Rare Books” “Plant “Plant Lore & & & Herbaria” “Sustaining Plant Plant Plant Plant Diversity” and and “Imagined & & & Future Plants” The exhibit’s themes brought together ideas from math and and and and poetry culture culture and and and and economics politics and and and and film pop culture culture and and and and biology In doing so visitors engaged with the the the various interdependencies of of the the the human-plant-world Ac- companied by by a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a catalog (available online) online) that combines an an an an an overview of of the the the the artworks in in in in in in in in the the the exhibit exhibit (which can also also be seen individually online) online) with contributions by by schol- ars and artists-in-residence the the exhibit exhibit also also featured a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a series of events including an an an an interdisciplinary symposium with speakers such as Giovanni Aloi David Chamovitz and Timothy Morton that can be be watched on on on YouTube alongside statements by the artists-in-residence 12 These digital resources are vital in in in in in reaching a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a broader audience and making the the the materials accessible to scholars in in in in in plant studies worldwide The artwork chosen for the the the the the the cover of of the the the the the the exhibition catalog shows a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a vegetal creature that seems to to to fall into the the the the the the category of of the the the the the the mandrake or or or or or or or the the the the the the 2016 horror film The The Birch rather than cute smart or or or or or beautiful plants we might perhaps expect to to to to help inspire empathy The The “stick figure” in in in Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick’s photo- graph King of of Weeds (2013) is an an an an an an an anthropomorphized plant mass whose general fea- tures resemble a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a human human form with with fleshy hands in in in the the tradition of of The Green Man mo- tif yet it it it it it it it also breaks with with with the the human human human silhouette by sticking out beyond its boundaries with with with green hornlike structures 13 Its human-plant-animal hybridity prompts questions about the the the human human relationship with with the the the natural world and points to to our own bodies’ porous boundaries In order to to to maintain the the the the illusion of o of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a closed-off individual unit humans tend to to ignore the the openings of o of of of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a body that consists of o of of of of of many different kinds of o of of of of of entities contains trillions of of of of of of microorganisms and and and and exists because of of of of of of a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a constant in in in in in and and and and out of of of matter Just like the the the hybrid creature in in in in the the the piece humans are one and and and and and many and and and and and what what we we call call the the the the I intellect and and and culture cannot be neatly separated from what what we we call call nature Similarly the the the the the Weed King raises questions about distinctions humans impose on on on on the the the the the the natural world such as as the the the the the the category of of of the the the the the the weed that often goes along with violent extermination just as as we we we try to to eliminate the the the the the the “germs” from our bodies Many of of of the the the the the the artworks in in in in in in in these exhibits invite us us to to consider instead what we we we have in in in in in in in common and how we live in in in community with other species