Plant Babies.
The Plant Babies exhibition concept tells stories about relating in significant otherness, showing the joint lives of humans and common houseplants in an imagined future or alternate present.
Using Haraway’s Companion Species Manifesto as inspiration, the exhibition shows how an ethics that is committed to the flourishing of significant otherness would be demonstrated in a single-person apartment in the future or the near future of an alternate present. This apartment belongs in a culture in which house plants are considered to be a companion species.
The exhibit shows glimpses along the spectrum of species companionship: from acceptance of "otherness" and intentional bridge building to extreme rejection of significant otherness as houseplants are “humanized” or personified in order to eliminate their perceived “otherness”.
TLDR.
Design question
Could our reasons for creating political, social or cultural borders overlap with environmental reasons for separating species of plants, animals, insects through climate?
Tools
Procreate
Adobe InDesign
Process
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Secondary Research
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Concept Ideation
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Creation of collages to represent artifacts
Outcome
Two collages representing exhibit artifacts on either end
of the spectrum of species companionship.
Exhibit artifacts.
In this imagined world, houseplant-human interactions are prevalent in popular culture. Significant houseplant personification is common, demonstrated through the concepts of “plant moms and plant babies”, the prevalence of “emotional support plants” and genetic enhancement of plants to make them more “domesticated” and responsive to human interaction.
"Plant mom cooing"
Verbal communication between humans and their houseplants is commonplace, with the understanding that plants simply respond to stimuli and communicate at a much slower rate than humans. Tools like baby monitors and plant language dictionaries are prevalent.
Exhibition elements:
1. Artifacts displayed on kitchen table,
2. Performer coos "baby talk" at ficus plant as the plant is potted.
Artifacts [from left]: PlantBaby Monitor [for sped up playback of plant responses], plant pet collar, Plant care books.
"Designer Houseplants"
Experimental and controversial genetic enhancement of houseplants that includes splicing of human genes to make plants more “human-like” through human-like skin, eyes and mouths is being contested by Houseplant Rights Advocates. These Designer Houseplants are often owned and promoted by celebrity plant moms.
