Pulled by the Roots
In the modern era, we are tempted to see human innovation as inorganic and
divorced from the natural world. The speed of technology and the
increasingly virtual dimension in which many of us we live only encourages
this tendency to separate our inventions from the earth that sustains us.
The installation, Pulled by the Roots, highlights this tension. As living
beings on an ever-changing planet, we cannot extricate ourselves from the
organic world; the architecture that we create is part and parcel of our
environment. At the same time, this piece works to remind us that
underneath the tons of metal and concrete of our cities, a vital organic
presence remains. As we consider our impact on the natural world, climate
change and the fate of the oceans, this piece reminds us that human culture
and nature are intimately linked.
Pulled by the Roots also points to our desire for a quick and easy solution to our planet’s transformation. If the earth becomes inhabitable perhaps we can move to the moon! Although technology has gotten us into this mess, we still hope that technology can get us out. We tend to overlook the roots of the problem, of our own attitudes, of what lies beneath our modern lives. This installation reminds us of the complexity of organic beauty, of its tenacity and strength—no matter what we build on the surface. Pulled by the Roots will take place in the Gare du Nord as part of the Nuit Blanche festival and will remain there to accompany the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.