The objective of this research is to experiment with organically composing the growth structures of aquatic plant life in a freshwater aquarium with the intent of exploring more-than-human intelligence. The outcome of my research will be to reveal the connections between composing an aquascape, and the umwelt of emersed plants. The German phrase umwelt, coined by Estonian Biologist Jakob von Uexküll, is defined as ‘the world as it is experienced by a particular organism.’ The physical predisposition of any living organism directly affects the way they perceive and move about the world; and in return, the way humans perceive them. As plants grow very slowly, their intelligence seems foreign to us, but in reality, they quiver, stretch, and yearn to live in real-time.
Currently, the research is focusing on Micranthemum Tweediei, also known as Monte Carlo pearl grass; this species is easy to cultivate, and quickly spreads across surfaces. The tank holds approximately 10 gallons, is heated, and dosed weekly with CO2. I have created 3D fabricated ‘snoots’, a mechanism used in photography to centralize light. These snoots are utilized to direct plants to form a dense web of interconnected life. The Monte Carlo was originally only planted on the outer edges of the aquarium and is slowly coaxed to the center by the lowering of the snoot, which creates a shrinking pinnacle of light. The work, which will be documented as a timelapse, is titled SOL (solar solace). As their light source shrinks, viewers may witness new life, as well as decay as the plants respond to their umwelt.
Through timelapse video documentation, humans can observe the qualities of plants we may not notice through our perception of time, potentially allowing us to become more empathetic toward their form.