3rd March – 2nd June 2024

Opening: 2nd of March 2024, 5 pm

The Senses of Plants / Die Sinne der Pflanzen

Anais-karenin, Marisa Benjamim, Suzette Bousema, Anca Bucur, María Castellanos & Alberto Valverde, Patricia Domínguez, Nicole L'Huillier, Špela Petrič, Elsa Salonen, Miriam Simun, Saša Spačal, Anton Vidokle und Zheng Bo

Artistic Direction: Julia Katharina Thiemann

The thematic group exhibition The Senses of Plants presents research-based, non-anthropocentric perspectives on plants and their senses, their abilities and their intelligence, all from the viewpoint of international young artists working under the artistic direction of Julia Katharina Thiemann at Villa Merkel in Esslingen am Neckar. The diverse artistic works by Anais-karenin, Marisa Benjamim, Suzette Bousema, Anca Bucur, María Castellanos & Alberto Valverde, Patricia Domínguez, Nicole L'Huillier, Špela Petrič, Elsa Salonen, Miriam Simun, Saša Spačal, Anton Vidokle and Zheng Bo explore alternative ways of being with plants and trees: The works present alternative and aesthetic ways of using plants and trees to address ecological, philosophical and, ultimately, social and political issues.

Although plants and trees are usually seen as mute, soulless and motionless in a half-living, object-like state, scientific research has shown for some time that plants have more and different senses than humans. Plants can communicate with each other and with others, have a memory, and make decisions. In a speculative manner, the artistic works gathered here ask what consequences we can draw from this both in terms of our thoughts and actions.

Leading scholars, such as philosopher Prof. Dr. Michael Marder and plant neurobiologist Prof. Dr. Paco Calvo, are advancing a novel comprehension of plant cognition, challenging previously prevalent ontological frameworks. If we take plants seriously as living, feeling, communicating and thinking co-inhabitants of this planet, new questions arise. We are not only dependent on plants for oxygen and food supply, but we can also learn from them. Does it therefore become necessary for plants to possess their own legal status in order for us to coexist?

In the current environmental and social crises of the post-Anthropocene, the participating artists attempt to rethink our relationship to plants and our environment by exploring alternative, speculative approaches within the artistic realm. The primary focus of the artistic explorations is on the study of plants and their inherent laws, which test our perception of ourselves and the world with wit and subtlety.

The Senses of Plants opens up new aesthetic perspectives on our coexistence with plants through the medium of art, integrating the insights of varying sciences and indigenous ways of thinking. Could we imagine going beyond the respectful cross-species coexistence and conceive of and live a new human-plant hybrid?

The exhibition, which was conceived and curated by Julia Katharina Thiemann, is complemented by a comprehensive catalog with numerous illustrations of the artistic works and in-depth essays by international authors from various disciplines. An extensive performance, event, and educational program accompany the aesthetic exploration.

The Gardening Season has Begun in the Merkelpark!

Together in the intercultural Urban Field for Art and Diversity.

The Urban Field is located within the Merkelpark, directly in front of the historical Gardener’s House along with its greenhouse. This is a project of the Villa Merkel, Galerie der Stadt Esslingen; it is not only a site of shared gardening but also a platform for intercultural encounters, artistic practice, and diversity. The undertaking began in the spring of 2022 and was awarded a state financial grant from the Zentrum für Kulturelle Teilhabe Baden-Württemberg.

Everyone is invited to share in the gardening, to exchange ideas, to experiment, and to find enjoyment. Here vintage vegetables are cultivated with tried-and-true methods and are harvested collaboratively; their seeds are preserved and a garden is created which is intended as a site of sustenance for all creatures.

Why Vintage Vegetables?

Vintage or historical vegetables come from the time before industrialisation and often differ distinctly from contemporary supermarket goods. They are adapted to particular regions and in most cases are more resistant to environmental conditions such as drought or barren soil. The wide range of their forms and tastes enriches both garden plots and dinner plates. Moreover, as a rule these varieties from the past offer more nutritive substances than do modern breeds.

‘In addition to gardening, there is an attentive focus on artistic practice, on traditional artisanal techniques from the garden, and on a heedful and respectful attitude,’ says Johanna Koop, who heads the intercultural project of the Urban Field. ‘Cultivating vintage vegetables not only adds diversity to what is served at the table, but also contributes to the continued cultivation of plants which are under threat.’

People come together regularly at the Urban Field in order to share in the gardening, engage in the harvesting, and try out new recipes. Workshops offer instruction in both traditional and creative techniques: for example, dyeing with plants or building shelters for animals. The Urban Field is considered to be not a project oriented solely towards crop yield, but rather an experimental context for communal learning and practical experiences.

The aspect of sharing in the intercultural Urban Field is characterised by openness, transparency, respect, appreciative valuation and a sensibility for identifying discrimination. This is an environment which is marked by pleasure, creativity, and mutual support, and in which all persons feel welcome and can develop themselves freely.

The aspect of sharing in the intercultural Urban Field is characterised by openness, transparency, respect, appreciative valuation and a sensibility for identifying discrimination. This is an environment which is marked by pleasure, creativity, and mutual support, and in which all persons feel welcome and can develop themselves freely.

Nature-pedagogical Offerings for Children

Together with the Merkelpark, the intercultural Urban Field for Diversity and Art has developed into an out-of-school site for learning about biodiversity. Together with the youth organisation Naturfreundejugend Württemberg, two nature-pedagogues have developed a richly varied series of programmes for children between the ages of six and ten. Right up until May 17, exciting formats are offered for getting to know plants and animals in the setting of a municipal park.

There is a different focus for every event: for example, an introduction to the wide variety of species in urban spaces, techniques for creativity and cultivation, herbal lore, tree identification, eco-printing, and much more!

03.05.2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm: LandArt + Writing a Nature Diary
17.05.2024, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm: Making Herbal Salt and Writing a Nature Diary

The meeting place for these activities is in front of the Villa Merkel; participation is free of charge!
 

How Can I Participate?

Would you like to become part of the Urban Field? Then simply come visit us on a Monday at 6:00 pm in front of the Gardener’s House (Pulverwiesen 21) or take a look at the information about coming events on the website of the Villa Merkel (www.villa-merkel.de) and on Instagram (@villamerkel). If you have questions or require further information, please contact: johanna.knoop@esslingen.de.

Since February 2019

BELLE & APHRODITE

Augmented Reality

by Barbara Herold

In the app BELLE & APHRODITE for smartphone or tablet, it is possible to experience a walk-in audio-visual metamorphosis of virtual plants.

The 3D plant BELLE extends across the entire Merkelpark. As an interactive form-cloud, it leads visitors, on the basis of data regarding their location and movement, to a virtual rose at the centre of the park.

APHRODITE was designed for the skylit atrium. In recurrent audio-visual loops, the 3D installation develops into a Phalaenopsis, a familiar type of orchid. APHRODITE can be viewed from all perspectives and, in its overlapping of simulation space and actual space, plays with the experience of abstraction, proportional relationships, proximity and distance.

Barbara Herold (*1977) directs her attention to the shaping of reality through the media. She investigates structures and phenomena which have established themselves through the influence of media technology on society; she develops her own systems on the basis of prevalent design practices such as computation and algorithms. Her works arise in the dynamic field between analogue and digital technology.

Download App BELLE - APHRODITE

App Store & Google Play Store