Gallery: Artist Teaches Roots To Grow In Beautiful, Alien Patterns
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German artist Diane Scherer creates low-relief sculptures made from plant roots.
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Scherer grows these works of art by planting oat and wheat seeds in soil, and then carefully, meticulously, warping the growth pattern.
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She prefers to train her roots into geometric patterns found in nature, like honeycomb structures, or foliate designs reminiscent of Middle Eastern arabesques.
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Still, Scherer’s pieces look distinctly alien—like the plant equivalent of women who’ve trained their waists with corsets, or feet with foot binding.
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Scherer started contemplating what she calls root system domestication in 2012, during work on a series called “Nurture Studies.”
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In studying various root structures, Scherer says she became fascinated by the vast differences in growth patterns, colors, textures, and thicknesses. It reminded her of yarn, and, because she’s an artist, she immediately wondered if she could weave roots underground.
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Since 2012, she's developed and honed a technique which involves a “template,” which functions like a mold.
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Her bounty is significant. “I’m growing out of my studio,” Scherer says. Which feels kind of poetic. Even when you’re taming nature, it finds ways to take over.
