As part of my practise as an art in science postgraduate student, I am currently exploring the link between plants and the brain, regarding the similar structures of plants to brain tumours. Some key artists that have influenced my practise and created an element of curiosity are Hannah Chalew, Makoto Azuma and Tomas Saraceno.
The first artist Hannah Chalew explores themes of global warming and the uncertain future that we face as a human race. As a New Orleans artist, her practise looks into the environment around her in Louisiana, by focusing on the post-Katrina landscape and Louisiana’s reliance on oil and gas within their economy. Some of her artworks to highlight is the pieces ‘Living Room’ and ‘Entropical Futures’.
The piece ‘Living Room’ features recycled and voided furniture, in which live plants grow and wrap around the empty pieces of furniture. The piece captures the regrowth of nature from the result of hurricane Katrina. The recycled furniture, illustrates the abandoned structures and buildings as a result of the destruction from Katrina. It establishes the resilience of nature to survive in an environment uninhabitable for humans.
Her second piece ‘Entropical Futures’ provides a vision for future gardens and what they will look like based on the current reliance on fossil fuels. Chalew uses plants local to Louisiana and allows the audience to walk in amongst her imagined gardens, to provide further immersion and learning how humans would fit within these future ecosystems. Among all the destruction from hurricanes to fossil fuels, Chalews’ work echoes the resounding theme of natures’ resilience. I would argue that this links to Makoto Azuma’s work using flowers based on an avant-garde form of Ikebana, a form of Japanese flower arranging.
Artist Makoto Azuma started as a part-time florist and became interested in seeking new forms of botanical beauty. Azuma is now internationally renowned for his floral sculptures, in which he experiments exposing flowers in different environments. In 2008 Azuma founded his research group Azuma Makoto Kaju Kenkyujo, which specialises in experimenting with different flower creations. The research group is based in the back of Azuma’s Jardins des Fleurs flower shop, experimenting with different creations. One aspect I found interesting regarding Azuma’s research process, is the scientific nature of his investigations. His employees wear white coats and work on stainless steel tables, almost like scientists in a laboratory, playing with the concept of an artists’ studio. I found the comparison between a scientist and an artists’ environment to be an interesting concept that Azuma seems to merge between the two, this is an aspect that I aim to bring into my practise. I find my environment is primarily an artists’ space, however the testing and reflecting upon my experiments, mimics scientific processes, thus proving the merging of these disciplines.
Some examples of his projects include, encasing flowers in ice, capturing bonsai trees underwater, in a dessert, by a waterfall or even in space. Through capturing these plants and flowers in impossible environments, it creates this sense of duality regarding the plants resilience within an environment that is seen as inhabitable for humans. Azuma also likes to use plants to evoke the fragility and passage of time through the plants decay. The theme of temporality, juxtaposes with the strength and resilience of plants who survive in impossible environments. The pieces also present a sense of wonder and discovery, an element that I wish to implement within my practise, through exploring the capabilities of plants involved within brain tumour treatment.
A final artist to consider is Tomas Saraceno who also explores art, life and social sciences through his sculptures that look to themes of climate change through imaging a world free of carbon, fossil fuels and capitalism etc.
When looking at his pieces ‘Webs at At-tent(s)ion’ and ‘Biosphere’ they follow a similar theme of interconnected through webs and ropes. The installation ‘Webs at At-tent(s)ion’ is a piece I saw at the Venice Biennale in 2019. The piece features a series are incredibly complex and interconnected spider webs created by a variety of spiders. The variety of architectures and structures within these sculptures illustrates a connection between spiders and humans and how they function within an ecosystem.
The theme of ecosystem follows into his next piece ‘Biosphere’, which consists of interconnected ropes that surround clear bubbles. These bubbles hold water plants known as Tillandsia plants. The floating garden further illustrates the interwoven ecosystem with the ropes seeming to resemble the structure of a galaxy or a spider web.
Overall, some key patterns that I have taken from these artists is the connection of humans to nature, the sense of wonder from nature and the impact of humans on nature through themes of climate change. From these pieces, I aim to create a sense of wonder into the beauty of nature within my practise.