Diana Scherer
Exercises in Rootsystem Domestication II, 2020
Grown textile from plant roots
75 H x 55 W cm
Diana Scherer is fascinated by the underground life of plants. The subterranean root system of a plant acts as a type of brain; it navigates and knows what surrounds it...
Diana Scherer is fascinated by the underground life of plants. The subterranean root system of a plant acts as a type of brain; it navigates and knows what surrounds it by perceiving gravity, moisture and chemicals. The artist first began to apply this "intelligence" of plants in her work in 2015. She wanted to make these hidden processes visible, for them to be appreciated by a wider audience. In collaboration with biologists, Scherer developed a technique to control the growth of plant roots, turning them into a natural textile. Scherer comments that: “I approach the root system as if it were yarn. For example, the refined, white root structure of grass reminds me of silk and the powerful, yellowish strands of the daisy I compare to wool.”
Museum exhibitions include the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; New Orleans Museum of Art; Textile Museum Tilburg, Netherlands; Mediamatic Amsterdam; Photography Museum Rotterdam, Netherlands; DHUB Design Museum in Barcelona, Spain and Museum Jan Cunen in Oss, Netherlands.
Museum exhibitions include the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; New Orleans Museum of Art; Textile Museum Tilburg, Netherlands; Mediamatic Amsterdam; Photography Museum Rotterdam, Netherlands; DHUB Design Museum in Barcelona, Spain and Museum Jan Cunen in Oss, Netherlands.