Roots

The installation “Roots” brings together different types of plants whose roots develop in soil, water, air and on bark, inviting us to explore the many ways to take root. Through this plant landscape, this work connects us to our own processes of rooting and uprooting, both individually and collectively, and invites us to reflect on the need for belonging, connection and care in contemporary society.

In this installation, each root is a metaphor for our interdependence and the many ways in which we can sustain ourselves, grow and flourish. It invites us to pause, observe and feel, discovering how our connections – with the elements, with the environment and with other people – make up the emotional territories that nourish our lives and our community.

<<Roots. Light. Water. Ecosystem.

Roots, yes, but also leaves that reach for the sun, stems that lift us and bring us closer to what we value. Water and earth that nourish us. A root cannot survive on its own: it needs the elements that sustain it. Each root is unique; they develop in different environments, and require or prefer some elements over others, but they all depend on them.

This is what human beings are: social, interdependent. We need emotional connections to grow, to live, to flourish. Take care of your roots, but don’t forget your leaves, your stems, your branches, your flowers, your fruits. There is no single way to take root, nor is there a wrong way; it’s about finding what works at your current stage of life and allowing your roots to intertwine with other environments and other people.

Move others and let yourself be moved.>>

Text resulting from thoughts shared in the laboratory