This body of work emerged as a result of the complex, and often demanding task, of caring for the plants selected for my installation. The health and well-being of the plants were essential in order to safeguard their role in the process of creating art. Thus ‘learning to care’ dominated the first part of my process as I gained the knowledge and experience to be able to do so. Caring for these selected plants required an attuned approach which Josephine Donovan (2016:73) calls “wit(h)nessing”. It involves attentive observation of, in this case the plant, with the intent of identifying and responding to its needs using a combination of knowledge and intuition. In this attentive state I consider the needs of the plant, at times above my own will, and as a result shift between a self-centred state and a plant-centred state. Care enables interference, and in the relationship between people and plants, interference is conventionally perceived as artificial and is usually done by artificial means such as irrigation systems and the act of fertilising. Instead of hiding human intervention or, what could be described as an artificial component, these acts of care are displayed to emphasise their capacity to nurture.
Tamed
This tamed plant from the genus Crassula, species unidentified, is an example of a domesticated plant that thrived under my care. It increased quickly in size and volume, changing colour from pale to bright green to show its approval of my behaviour towards it. Requiring minimal care, it displayed model behaviour and therefore became a welcome addition to The Paradoxical Garden. This plant would fit the criteria of an ideal plant in the South African garden as it demonstrates good performance with minimal effort. Although this plant showed no aversion to being domesticated, it was adversely affected by aphids who fed on the new growth of the plant. Indirectly, the presence of the aphids was the ecosystem’s warning against over-watering in the hope of lush plant growth. Herein, being attuned extended beyond the plant to the ecological system of the garden.
Shedding Skin
The title, Shedding Skin (2018), refers to the anthropomorphic characteristics evident in the plant. The fleshy appearance of its flowers and the scab-like spots that formed on its surface as a result of over-watering, seemed almost human-like. Anthropomorphism is where something is only of value if it displays human characteristics. This resulted in identification with the plant which enabled me to form an emotional connection. Anthropomorphism is criticised for its anthropocentric approach. In contradiction with the critique against anthropomorphism which facilitated a connection with the plant. Based on this connection an enchantment with its non-human characteristics developed. This experience was documented in the plant’s personal journal where the ‘human’ characteristics of the plant were depicted in such a way as to enhance its fleshy qualities to enable the viewer to look beyond its alien appearance to facilitate the same connection.
Remains
Remains provides evidence of a mistranslation of a plant’s response to care, by its human caregiver. In contrast with Tamed (2018) the work confirms human interference and the process of domestication of ‘wild nature’ as harmful to the plant. The process of care involved a series of mistranslations of the plants signals as it did not communicate in expected behaviours such as wilting when in need of water. Instead the plant kept its shape and attempted to survive by producing flowers which are normally a sign of health. The evidence of the efforts to care for the plant was reassembled in a frame using thread and set using bio-resin. Remains is displayed along with a journal containing visualisations of unsuccessful attempts to change its withering state by identify and respond to the pelargonium’s needs. In an attempt to control its behaviour to flourish as plants are expected to do, my actions were out of sync with the plants requirements and what was intended as care ended up being cruel and resulted in its death.
Entangled
The Propeller vine as co-creator in Entangled is a climber treated in a similar way as the Mondia whitei in Tapestry. Continuing in the tradition of a conversation, I acted and responded with the plant. The woody qualities of its branches it did not allow me the same leeway as the pliable character of the Mondia whitei, and I had to work with a different formation. In constructing with nature this climber took the form of a woven web-like column formation, mimicking the ‘architecture’ of spiders. With this resemblance I wanted to explore a similar kind of construction with non-human nature to counter the perception of human presence as contaminating. I documented the seasonal changes in colour and growth on labels which I tagged on the plant as they occur. The narrative therefore started at the bottom going up as the plant grew to affirm its durational aspect.
Tapestry
A ‘climber’ by definition is a dependant plant which requires physical support to grow high enough to get enough light. The climber’s success is dependent on finding something suitable to grow on. This created the opportunity for me to collaborate with the Mondia whitei in a different way than the others, by providing the physical support required. Its pliable properties allowed me to push and pull the plant in different directions without too much resistance. However, initiating a weaving action with the plant resulted in protest. The Mondia whitei’s growth slowed down substantially and as soon as I turned a stem downward, that part lost its leaves, clearly indicating its desire to grow upwards. New growth wove itself through the tapestry web on its way up, so I stopped interfering. Because my communications with this climber was open ended it resulted in my being more receptive to its responses which were often unexpected. Such open-ended expression is what Jan van Boeckel’s (2012:113) believes remedies the human race from the rational mind. Interactions with this plant emphasises its otherness in a way that is not fully predictable or controllable.
Rivalry
Rivalry presents two Doll’s Protea plants subjected to similar conditions, but one was hidden from view by the overgrowth of surrounding plants and consequently received less attentive care. While the one plant was competing with the surrounding plants for attention, the other received the required care as it was already established on its own. In this competitive struggle the hidden plant died due to a lack of attention. This example of competition between plants draws attention to Emma Power’s (2003:42) view of power as a relational activity where agency is a property of interaction between different actors in a network rather than a single actor. After dying, the hidden Doll’s Protea was threaded back together carefully and suspended in a frame to show all its parts. It comes across as frail, naked and exposed instead of dressed in soil. Dead matter on display also conflicts with standard garden practice as dead plants are removed very quickly for aesthetic reasons. In conventional gardens, plants are expected to perform all year round for their human caregivers, usually through artificial means such as fertilisers. By drawing attention to dead plants, I am proposing that the viewer considers it a pertinent part of the process of gardening that can be displayed.
Waterworks
This work documents the demanding behaviour of the tamed Pellaea calomelanos. This plant defies several characteristics assigned to its species, and responded in a unique way to other plants. It was demanding and asocial. As I struggled to keep up with its demand for water, the plant wilted and dried on a regular basis but proved to be rather resilient and quickly replaced any branches that dried out. Its responsive nature was evident in an asocial reaction to other plants as well, where it grew in several directions to avoid touching other plants resulting in a slightly misshapen appearance. It also required regular cleaning from bugs and cinnamon was used as an anti-fungal treatment due to its preference for moist conditions. At times the responsibility of care felt like a burden and to visualise this, the plant’s journal took shape in various pieces of paper distributed on the wall behind it as one would display notes and reminders.
Lantana camara and Stapelia grandiflora
During the process of care, exchanges between myself and plants resulted in changes in my ideas and relationship with various plants as I gained knowledge about them through interest and engagement. I intuitively tried to communicate these relationships with the amount of detail included in the drawings to signify intrigue and involvement. I increased the saturation of colours to show attraction and interest, and as affection and association decreased, the plants were pushed further into the picture plane. Initially I had very little knowledge of plants and different species. I was attracted to plants based on their appearance in relation to my taste. Therefore, the Lantana camara caught my attention based on the colour combination of its flowers which reminded me of a sunset. In a conversation with my mother (a gardener) she indicated that the description fits that of a Lantana which is a weed. A quick online search confirmed this, and I came to understand the Lantana was particularly aggressive, invasive and damaging to the South African ecology.
In contrast, when adopting a Stapelia grandiflora, I was indifferent to its strange appearance. It came with care instructions and I was able to provide the care it required. Being a slow growing plant, I did not take much notice of this succulent and perceived it as detail less, colourless fingers. Eventually the appearance of pink fleshy trumpet-like buds pushing up from the bottom of one of the stems revealing intriguing hairy flowers changed my relationship with this plant. Despite my initial experience of it as other or alien based on its appearance, it revealed several anthropomorphic characteristics that helped me form a connection to it that I aimed to portray in this work. According to Donovan (2016:9) relating to the non-human other based on care develops an ethical consciousness that avoids domination and exploitation. It is noteworthy that my initial connection to the plants were based mainly on their physical appearance; thereafter I developed an interest in how they relate to other plants and the ecological impact of this interrelatedness.
The Paradoxical Garden | Marili de Weerdt 