[-empyre-] (no subject)

[Živa Pikaja]

A warm hello to everyone!

My name is Špela Petrič. I'm a biologist who was too curious about the
strings attached to science to stay and have been wandering in the realm of
art to see if living systems shine differently through the multitude of
optic systems we could (but don't necessarily choose to) employ.

Albeit they were never particularly my cup of tea, I've been (almost
coincidentally - ha, should I admit to pragmatism?) forcing myself onto
plants and abusing them at workshops, in artworks and on my window sill for
several years. It seemed only fair I should lay bare my neck, face my
schizoid humanity and commit to the quixotic task of confronting vegetal
otherness.

And here I am, two years later, gleefully reading this thread that in a few
email exchanges voices the evident (but far from obvious) disconcerted
inflections of (human)V(plant).

When it comes to overcoming anthropocentrism, especially in regards to
plant life where a true empathic relationship is questionable (see Marder, The
Life of Plants and the Limits of Empathy
<http://www.michaelmarder.org/app/download/5864710661/M.Marder.Life.of.Plants.Empathy.pdf?t=1431562863>),
it seems that are we must accept this natural sciences joke: "Theoretically
is should be possible to achieve it in practice, but practically it holds
true only in theory."

I therefore think that the critique of shortcomings in such artistic
endeavours is precisely what we should fall upon when defining the ethical
grounds for the relationship to the non-human Other. Through this
questioning it becomes apparent that, while an extremely effective blow the
the Western cosmology, we are nevertheless embedded in it. Exercises in
interface-based plant-to-human experiences effectively (through affect)
rattle our curious assumption that reality is somehow objective, somehow
"out there", while simultaneously (mis)lead us to conclude that time is all
we need to understand "what it is like to be a plant".

That said, I also believe that only when working with/growing/observing
plants over a longer period of time does this alien group of living beings
begin to authentically displaces our perception of them -- and,
consequently, of ourselves. I wonder if an observer/visitor served with the
output of projects built on not only a huge amount of scientific
understanding, but also on the utter commitment of the artist, ever truly
grasps the herculean patience and meekness involved in the dance of agency
which ultimately becomes a display of the (un)hidden zoe (and bios :) of
plant life...

Lastly, to give my answer to Graham on the topic of technological
interfaces: I think these technological translations are user-friendly and
might even be condemned as superficial (ultimately we are much more
accustomed connecting to technology than to plants, which might be
understood as undermining the purpose), but one shouldn't overlook the
importance of these works as persistent, perhaps even programmatic
explorations of the embodiment of critical posthumanism, whose ideals are
hence tested in practice. Also, by undergoing the lengthy process of
plant-imbued artwork manifestation, the artists become sensitised to the
Other in a way that permanently changes their vantage point, themselves
becoming a breeding ground for an adjacent future not possible without such
experiences.

Best,
Špela

2015-06-07 2:09 GMT+02:00 Graham Teeple <grahamteeple at gmail.com>:

> ----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------
> Wow! What a wonderful discussion to find.
> I am also sorry to be joining in so late.
>
> Patrick and Murat - your discussion about the world beyond humans is one I
> love and fear thinking about.
> Projects like these are such great tools for testing the
> limits/limitations.
>
> My mind has been spiralling into the human, interspecies, and cyborg
> dimensions of these projects.
>
> I am a gardener and curator. I am familiar with Yi and Jasmeen's work in
> its first iteration presented at Grow Op 2015 this spring, which I helped
> organize.
> Jo - I have heard about your project, and it is wonderful to read these
> details and anecdotes.
>
> To Yi and Jo:
>
> I'm thinking about how human technology is often an essential collaborator
> when it comes to human-plant connections.
> Leaving plants to the side for a moment, I'm wondering how would you
> describe the connection between participants and the technology you are
> using in these projects?
> Does it feel like an easier, or maybe natural, way to connect with others?
> Or maybe it presents its own perceptual challenges to participants?
>
> And Jo - I'm wondering if you could speak about how the plants might have
> responded to THEIR intimate connection with human technology. Hard to say,
> I know, but have you noticed changes in the plants after connecting or
> disconnecting them?
>
> Thank so much for all your comments.
>
> Graham
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
> http://empyre.library.cornell.edu
>
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