Banner design by Yu-Tzu Huang
MorePlants Exhibition 2022
Curators/ Artists , Ju-An Hsieh and Yi-Han Yen
Consultant of Curatorial Statement, Hsiang-Yun Huang
All photo credits in this article belongs to 謝茹安 Ju-An Hsieh
Official Project Website: https://www.moreplants2022.com/
MorePlants 2022 is the start of a series of art actions. The project invites us to rethink the interdependence of humans and plants. We retell the lively stories of plants, increase our understanding of plants, initiate actions against the commodification and objectification of plants, and reflect on the issues of plant rights.
We take our first step to recognise the rights of plants, however, we understand that the term requires deconstruction and decolonization because it comes from a Western context. There are many other cosmologies and ethics around the world, especially in the community of aborigines, that have already developed a long history of coexistence with plants through other value systems other than the top-down law regulations.
The long-term vision of the project, therefore, lies in the exploration of decolonizing nature and the dominant Westernised knowledge system by evoking dialogues in the fields of environmental humanities, political ecology and ecofeminism.
Environmental Crisis
Climate change is one of the defining crises of our time. There is a trend in reclaiming the significance of plants over the past few years. These Issues range from recognizing plant’s role as the potential solutions for climate change to the idea of the future food industry. Indeed, the fate of many species is deeply connected to the way humans treat plants.
Plant Rights
How to coexist with plants as humans? One way is to empower the plant by giving it a legal entity. The Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH) in Switzerland has already published a declaration of the rights of plants titled ‘The Dignity Of Living Beings With Regard To Plants’ in 2008. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement in the discussions, and legal rights is just the starting point.
Plant is not a commodity but a living being
Under the logic of capitalism, most people’s relationship with plants depends on its economic value. This is a kind of condition where plants are commodified and objectified — rather than being treated as a subjectivity, autonomous living beings which requires respect.
We commonly hear from people commenting on plants as follow:
‘Plants are static.’
‘Plants look peaceful.’
‘Plants do not think.’
…
However, these are just stereotypes created by human beings. In the field of Plant Science, researchers have found out the communicative ability, sensory capacity and symbiotic phenomenon of plants. This tells us that there are still a lot of mysteries of plants still awaiting to be explored. To initiate this journey of revealing the secrets of plants is one of the ways to recognize plants as autonomous beings.
Exhibition “Mysterious Space”
Date: 06/21 - 07/15
Location: Hortus Botanicus Leiden & Plantenasiel Leiden
There are still many unsolved mysteries of plants. We, as humans, still lack knowledge about plants and treat them as stereotypes. For instance, we often think of plants as being static and calm, but some plants like carnivorous plants and myrmecophytes are not. They have evolved the special ability to hunt and unique body structures. They are cunning and treacherous, and even a little bit “evil.”
carnivorous plants and myrmecophytes respectively, both of which have developed distinct body structures and special hunting strategies during their process of evolution. Their existence overturns human beings’ stereotypical views on plants — instead of being static, they are cunning,treacherous,and even somewhat evil.
Visual artist,Ju-An Hsieh, was inspired by the above-mentioned plants, and developed a series of graphic designs to show their eccentric beauty. Plants have become the objects of praise in her works, and she shows her personal worship of plants through art creation.
Exhibition “The Sex Life of Plants”
Date: 08/05 - 08/21
Location: Hortus Botanicus Leiden
Plant sex is full of mysteries. Do you know that some plants are gender fluid just like animals? Do you know that some flowers can hear approaching bees and make their nectar sweeter in response to the sound? Do you know that some plants have multiple pollination methods or even the technique of gene cloning?
To explore the mysteries of plant sex, Exhibition MorePlants 2022 created an open call, in which we invited people to write poems about plant’s love storeis. Later, the poems turned into sound installations in the botanical gardens for you to imagine the love stories between plants.
Exhibition “Free Reality”
Date: To be announced
Location: Hortus Botanicus Leiden
Introduction
Survive, grow, and reproduce. If you believe that plants are alive, you can't deny they might have such needs. How do our desires interact with those of plants? Can we make both sides happy? This exhibition answers these questions through three daily actions: eating, decorating, and naming, with individual experiences for reflection.
Graze
"Eating salad is murder." If you agree the plants will say: Wait a second! Eating carrots might be, but eating tomatoes is not! Plants carry energy, to grow, to flourish, to die. What does that mean? Can we not eating them? This exhibition consist of a workshop and everyday stories that invite you to see food in a new light. Is there anything else we can do besides eat or not eat?
Place
Look around you, perhaps in your office, or in your cozy nest. Are there any plants in pots? Are they in front of the door, or next to the TV? Maybe there are cut flowers on the dining table. In modern life, plants are brought indoors for various reasons, one of which is to decorate the space. Are these practices called wrong? This exhibition will take you on a journey to consider what it might mean for people and plants when plants are decorative.
Name
What does it feel like to pee on plants? Some plants have strange names, some are used in weddings, some in funerals, do they care? This exhibition invites you to name plants and consider the need for dignity.
Special Events
Plant Voicemail & Podcast “Aunt Plant”
The project "Plant Voicemail" is made in cooperation with Leiden's Plant Shelter (Plantenasiel Leiden). People are invited to visit the shelter and leave their voice messages/stories to the plants. The artist will collect the messages afterwards and create a work related to the memories of humans and plants.
“Aunt Plant” is a whimsical show about plants. Each episode, the host will share her own stories of encounters with plants or news she has seen. Audience can share their thoughts and experiences with the aunt on instagram.