Why Look at Plants?: The Botanical Emergence in Contemporary Art

Why Look At Plants?' Proposes A Thought-provoking And Fascinating Look Into The Emerging Cultural Politics Of Plant-presence In Contemporary Art. Through The Original Contributions Of Artists, Scholars, And Curators Who Have Creatively Engaged With The Ultimate Otherness Of Plants In Their Work, This Volume Maps And Problematizes New Intra-active, Agential Interconnectedness Involving Human-non-human Biosystems Central To Artistic And Philosophical Discourses Of The Anthropocene. Plants' Fixity, Perceived Passivity, And Resilient Silence Have Relegated The Vegetal World To The Cultural Background Of Human Civilization. However, The Recent Emergence Of Plants In The Gallery Space Constitutes A Wake-up-call To Reappraise This Relationship At A Time Of Deep Ecological And Ontological Crisis. Why Look At Plants? Challenges Readers' Pre-established Notions Through A Diverse Gathering Of Insights, Stories, Experiences, Perspectives, And Arguments Encompassing Multiple Disciplines, Media, And Methodologies. -- Publisher's Description Lost In The Post-sublime Forest / Giovanni Aloi -- The Humblest Props Now Play A Role / Caroline Picard -- Ungrid-able Ecologies: Becoming Sensor In A Black Oak Savannah / Natasha Myers -- An Open Book Of Grass / Jenny Kendler --trees : Upside-down, Inside-out, And Moving / Giovanni Aloi -- Animation, Animism ... Dukun Dukun & Dna / Lucy Davis -- Tree Wound Portraits / Shannon Lee Castleman -- Contested Sites: Forest As Uncommon Ground / Greg Ruffing -- Quercus Velutina, Art Of Fiction, No. 11111011 / Lindsey French -- Falling From Grace / Giovanni Aloi -- Hortus Conclusus : The Garden Of Earthly Mind / Wendy Wheeler -- Eden's Heirs: Biopolitics And Vegetal Affinities In The Gardens Of Literature / Joela Jacobs -- Thoreau's Beans / Michael Marder -- The Greenhouse Effects / Giovanni Aloi -- Solarise / Luftwerk -- The Glass Shields The Eyes Of The Plant: Darwin's Glasshouse Study / Heidi Norton -- The Lichen Museum / Laurie Palmer -- Hyperplant Shelf-life / Giovanni Aloi -- Life In The Aisles / Linda Tegg -- Greenbots Where The Grass Is Greener: An Interview With Katherine Behar / Katherine Behar, Fatma Çolakoğlu And Ulya Soley -- Home Depot Throwing Out Plants / Various Contributors -- Presence, Bareness, And Being-with / Giovanni Aloi -- Houseplants As Fictional Subjects / Susan Mchugh -- Seeing Green: The Climbing Other / Dawn Sanders -- Plant Radio / Amanda White -- Psychoactives And Biogenetics / Giovanni Aloi -- Of Plants And Robots: Art, Architecture And Technoscience For Mixed Societies / Monika Bakke -- Boundary Plants / Sara Black -- The Illustrated Herbal / Joshi Radin -- (brief) Encounters / Giovanni Aloi -- Places Of Maybe : Plants Making Do Without The Belly Of The Beast / Andrew S. Yang -- The Neophyte / Lois Weinberger -- Herbarium Perrine: Interview With Mark Dion / Mark Dion And Giovanni Aloi -- Burning Flowers: Interview With Mat Collishaw / Mat Collishaw And Giovanni Aloi -- A Program For Plants: In Conversation, Coda / Giovanni Aloi, Brian M. John, Linda Tegg And Joshi Radin. Written And Edited By Giovanni Aloi. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.