Plants - for some, they appear to be nothing more than green creatures that they can't seem to keep alive in their house. Some think that plants are necessary for life to exist on this planet. However, they're much more than that. Plants are sophisticated, interrelated organisms that play surprising active roles in ecosystems and human society. Moreover, they also have a political agenda and The Wellcome wants to show you how it works.
The 'Rooted Beings,' a major new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, revolutionizes our relationship with plants and fungus. It was curated by Bárbara Rodriguez Muoz and Emily Sargent, and promotes the visitors to contemplate on the world of plants and fungus in a relaxing manner. It is also a partnership between the Wellcome Collection and Madrid's La Casa Encendida. The exhibit is open for all, free of charge, and the gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday - 10 am to 6 pm. It will include botanical archives from the Wellcome Collection and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as works by artists Gözde İlkin, Ingela Ihrman, and Joseca, as well as new commissions by Patricia Dominguez, Eduardo Navarro, RESOLVE Collective, and Sop.
Moreover, the highlight of the exhibition addresses what we may learn from plant behavior, as well as the effects of colonial expeditions on natural resource exploitation and indigenous knowledge. The Wellcome usually focuses on research; this time, they've chosen to focus on the socio-economic effect of plants, on how colonial explorers stomped on indigenous culture in their pursuit of new species, damaged ecosystems, and wrecked lives all for the sake of monocultures and profit.
They showcased plants as so much more than just a resource for human food, tools, or even adornment, as the current environmental crisis reveals the important but delicate ties between human and planetary health. By doing so, we can learn from plant behavior as we reassess the value of these ancient, sophisticated, and sensitive organisms via new artist commissions, botanical specimens, and past works. It will also inspire us to reconsider our attitudes about plants and to embrace the wild in our lives, landscapes, and emotions.
Overall, the exhibition was fascinating, and it piqued my curiosity since it provided me with a new perspective on plants.
There are a few pieces of archive material there, such as an ancient papyrus image of a comfrey plant, a nineteenth-century sketch of mushrooms, and a lovely circular portrayal of Jain cosmology, but the most of the collection is fresh modern art.
This is the work of Gözde İlkin, where he gathers household fabrics in order to create images that blur the lines between human, animal, and plant life. She embroiders with her mother, alluding to the transmission of wisdom. The colours are made from plants that are used in shamanic ceremonies.
The Johnson Papyrus is considered to be the earliest surviving piece of a medically illustrated herbal. The above image depicts comfrey, a plant that is still used in traditional medicine.
To attract pollinators, an orchid that looks like a bee is depicted above.
Jambudvpa, the continent of the Jambu trees in Jain cosmology, is shown above. Plants, animals, elements, and people are said to have souls in Jainism.
Ingela Ihrman designed this passionflower costume for a 'blooming' performance. The outfit is activated by the artist, who transforms it from bud to blossom. Once the petals have opened, the audience is urged to sip the 'nectar' from the flower, therefore becoming pollinators.
Patricia Dominguez's latest commission combines botanic specimens from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and manuscripts from the Wellcome Collection with paintings and holographic projections to investigate colonial brutality tales and honor indigenous healing knowledge. The centerpiece honors pre-Colombian symbolic and spiritual understanding by focusing on Brugmansia, Banisteriopsis caapi, Cinchona, and Mandrake.
Sop had to shield during the epidemic. When they couldn't get outside, this "portable den" offered them access to nature and the metaphorical shelter of a den. Each leaf has a sketched design on it, endowing it with transformational ability.
Below is a series of enormous seaweed sculptures inspired by Ingela Ihrman's love of the water and represents the close relationship between ocean ecosystems and human bodies. Margaret Gatty (1809–73), an English writer and botanist, was the inspiration for 'A Great Seaweed Day.' She spent time in Hastings in 1848, convalescing by the sea and collecting a large number of seaweed species.
Part-human, part-plant entities are shown in Eduardo Navarro's series of thoughtful artworks. The piece is created with charcoal on biodegradable envelopes containing London plane-tree seeds. The envelopes will be buried at the end of the show, restoring them to the earth.
The image below is designed to resemble the London plane tree's bark, blurring the line between human and plant life.
Jose is a Yanomami artist who lives in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. His pictures merge themes from normal life in the forest with depictions of shamanistic plant spirits invoked to restore health and battle sickness.
Overall, the exhibition showed Ingela Ihrman's giant passionflower costume and seaweed sculptures, Edward Navarro has a plane tree dress, and Patricia Dominguez's latest commission combines botanical specimens and the Johnson Papyrus. The highlight is Joseca, a Yanomami artist from the Brazilian Amazon who has created a wall of lovely paintings.
However, the show isn't quite perfect. The majority of the art isn't really that mind-blowing, and the absence of Wellcome scientific expertise throws things off. It requires context, boldness, and, most importantly, harmony, exactly like nature.
