Literature Review 1
Kopp-Oberstebrink, Herbert, and Weiss, Judith Elizabeth “On Roots and Men: Interwoven Narratives in the Age of Hybrid Realities.” From Interwoven, PP41-48. Jap Sam Books, 2023. In particular, this literature review examines the subsection of the essay titled “Killing – on the Cultural Performance of Destruction, Uprooting, Annihilation”
“On Roots and Men: Interwoven Narratives in the Age of Hybrid Realities” is an essay written by Herbert Kopp-Oberstebrink a German literary scholar and philosophy historian, and Judith Elisabeth Weis, a German art historian and ethnologist.
The essay is included in the book “Interwoven” by German artist Diana Scherer and is a reflection by Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss on different facets of Diana Scherer’s art installation and ongoing project titled “Interwoven 2015”. Scherer’s practice engages a collaboration with plants to create botanical installations and textiles comprised of manipulated root systems while exploring the relationship humans have with their natural environment and their desire to control nature.
The text discusses the political implications, cultural history, and the emotional reactions evoked by Scherer’s artworks, reflecting on the ambivalent relationship between humanity and nature. It acknowledges a historical tradition of destroying nature for artistic purposes, the contrast between nurturing and destroying, and emotional reactions triggered in viewers by her art, such as mourning for dying nature.
Within the essay, Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss (2023) make reference to Nietzsche and Latour relating “Interwoven” to the perspective which they explain as “A common thread running throughout Nietzsche to Bruno Latour can be found in the bonds with the earth and the concept of the terrestrial, seeking to escape the mess of destructive exploitation and arrogance of humankind” (Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss, 2023). Bruno Latour (1947-2022), was a French sociologist and anthropologist who can be situated within the philosophical framework of actor-network theory (ANT). This intellectual movement, characterised by its innovative approach to understanding the social and natural worlds, emphasises the interconnectedness and agency of both human and non-human actors. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher, essayist, and cultural critic. He is associated with existentialism. His philosophy challenged traditional morality, religion, and metaphysics, emphasising individual responsibility and the creation of meaning in a meaningless world. Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss observe that both Nietzsche and Latour share a common focus on the relationship between humans and the Earth and that they aim to move away from destructive exploitation and human arrogance and towards a more grounded and humble existence on Earth.
Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss (2023) write about Scherer’s botanical artworks triggering a sympathetic response from viewers and go on to discuss whether this is a reasonable response. Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss (2023) state, “Scherer’s art also triggers aggressive reactions among her audience. They are moved out of sympathy for plant life ebbing away by an act of a violence that slowly manifests itself. Reactions of this kind demonstrate a recent and newly described phenomenon – mourning dying nature”. In reading the text, rhetorical questions are raised about the viewers and why they would respond aggressively. Humans have farmed and harvested plants throughout the ages. I surmise that not all the viewers would respond aggressively, as perhaps the intensity of empathetic or sympathetic responses people experience is on a spectrum that is influenced by personal experiences and knowledge. Adam Smith (1723-1790), a Scottish economist and philosopher who wrote “Theory of Moral Sentiments” stated within that text “That this is the source of our fellow-feeling for the misery of others, that it is by changing places in fancy with the sufferer, that we come either to conceive or to be affected by what he feels” (Smith, 1759). While Smith is discussing sympathy for fellow humans, rather than non-sentient entities, with a focus shifting towards eco-consciousness, mindfulness of nature and sympathy for living things and how human interventions affect them, there seems a greater scope for people to be inclined to anthropomorphise plants, project feelings and experiences and trigger aggressive actions a sympathetic response. This is illustrated in how Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss have observed and discussed the response of the viewers to Scherer’s installation.
Humans may not understand all levels of communication, or that there is a form of cognition present within plants, or even want to conceive of any other alternatives, as perhaps the acknowledgement means that a sympathetic response to plants in “mourning the death of nature” (Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss, 2023) is too inconvenient and would disrupt the habitual exploitation of nature by humankind. The invocation of an aggressive response by viewers to Diana Scherer’s works, as Kopp-Oberstebrink and Weiss discuss is perhaps understandable.
Scherer's art showcases the juxtaposition of caring for plants and destroying them. She grows carpets of grass through horticultural work, only to later destroy and uproot them. This act of harvesting the roots symbolizes the inversion of cultural history and represents a political statement. The domestication of plants and the practice of harvesting have played a significant role in the development of human civilization, but they also reflect the exploitation of the Earth and the consequences of technological advancements and human migration.
The analysis also highlights Scherer's earlier series of works called "Nurture Studies," which involve manipulating plants and roots within flowerpots and vases. Cutting the roots and smashing the containers disrupts traditional visual conventions associated with cultivated nature. The fragility and potential decay of the sculptural appearance of the plants symbolize the constant threat to culture and the inherent seed of destruction within established forms and traditions.
Scherer's artworks challenge the audience's perception and trigger emotional reactions, including mourning for dying nature. This phenomenon, known as ecological or climate grief, reflects the pain and loss felt for non-human entities and the fear of irreversible changes in the environment. The artworks emphasize the ambivalence in humanity's treatment of nature and growing plant life, showcasing the dilemma and bipolarity of caring and nurturing while also destroying and killing.
The analysis suggests that Scherer's art exposes the inherent self-empowerment and radical aesthetic decision-making in artistic activities. It references the historical tradition of destroying nature to create art, such as burning natural objects or shooting birds for illustrations. The act of transforming and moulding nature into new artistic forms is seen as a critique of the conditions of art and a reflection of art's focus on nature throughout history.
In summary, the analysis explores the themes of destruction, uprooting, and annihilation in Diana Scherer's artistic work, emphasizing the dialectic between collaboration with nature and the mastery over nature. It discusses the political implications, cultural history, and the emotional reactions evoked by her artworks, ultimately reflecting on the ambivalent relationship between humanity and the natural environment.
Sources
“Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, I.i.1.” n.d. https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Smith/tms111.html.
Dove, Laurie L., and Desiree Bowie. 2023. “Do Plants Feel Pain? A Primer on Plant Neurobiology.” HowStuffWorks. September 7, 2023. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/plants-feel-pain.htm.
Kopp-Oberstebrink, Herbert, and Judith Elisabeth Weiss. 2023. Interwoven. Jap Sam Books.
“Nietzsche, Friedrich | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” n.d. https://iep.utm.edu/nietzsch/.
Smith, Adam. 1759. “Theory of Moral Sentiments.” 1759. Accessed March 25, 2024. https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Smith/tms111.html.
Theory, Culture & Society. 2023. “Bruno Latour 1947-2022 — Theory, Culture & Society | Global Public Life.” Theory, Culture & Society | Global Public Life. January 23, 2023. https://www.theoryculturesociety.org/blog/bruno-latour-1947-2022-in-memoriam.
