By decellurazing the vegetal tissue, the installation “Becoming plant” exposes the transparency and fragility surrounding notions of identity and its relationship to body image and form.

The work is built upon the biotechnological process of decellularizing biological materials. By removing living cells from their original cellular structure, the work uses this process as a metaphor to represent the deconstruction of form through technoscientific interventions. Upon the completion of the decellularization process, the constructs could be seeded with cultured cells taken from animals or humans. The artist views this process of reclaiming these botanical biological forms as however, the work takes a critical stance on the transformation just by figures, this acquisition also extends to the essence of the original materials and function. This type of, "becoming-" is not one of imitation or analogy but instead, it is generative of a new way of being that is a function of influences rather than resemblances.

The “Becoming Plant” project is a speculative experiment and ritual that attempts to reframe the opposition between artificial and natural realities and rethink the inviolacy of borders between human and plant bodies. By implanting the structure of plants and following the instructions after surgery, a ritual of transformation is established, which aims to shift the ability of perception, thoughts, and movement towards plant-values-oriented human relationships.

Materials: Decellularized spinach Spinacia oleracea, Poinsettia Dianthus caryophyllus and Carnation Euphorbia pulcherrima leaves and flowers, printings of speculative implants and medical diagrams. The project was created after a course of Lyndsey Walsh delivered at ITMO University.

Video: Becoming Plant