Description
Taking Root originated as a contemplation on the relationship between nature and the city. Often, appreciation for nature in the urban environment occurs only when growth and placement are sanctioned by humans. Plants in pots, parks, greenhouses and fields are considered good, while those sprouting from sidewalk cracks, retaining walls and construction sites are deemed undesirable. In the urban environment, a plant’s life can be quite expendable once its growth is seen as out of bounds.
Julie & Jesse has long been intrigued by the resilience of nature, as it always finds a home in the most surprising places, such as drainage pipes, walls and pavements. To explore a new type of symbiotic relationship between humans and nature, the duo has designed ceramic housing units for plants actively removed by city cleaners or displaced by monsoon weather. These orphaned saplings are given a new home with an attached wooden structure symbolising the network of roots that will always seek out nutrients. All pieces share a standardised vessel, as the individuality stems from the tree itself. The simple act of rehousing increases the desirability of the once dislodged plants, granting them a rightful abode in the city.
