Plantaphilia
Overview
"Plantaphilia is a way of creating an analogue technology that helps us connect with the plant world" - Paula Turmina and Iria Suárez Martínez (Plantaphilia)
Plantaphilia is a collaborative project founded by phD student Iria Suarez Martinez and artist Paula Turmina. Their experimental practice is centred around research into the healing power of plants, the outcome of which is expressed as a series of analogue films exploring the relationship between the human and non-human. Their 2024 film ‘Herb Robert’ exemplifies this connection - the film is both a tribute to the eponymous plant as well its namesake - Robert of Molesme, a monk known for using the herb to cure a multitude of ailments through its medicinal application.
Shot with a Super 8 camera and hand painted by the pair, each of their films documents a different plant, with sonic responses by sound designers including Mario Radev and Pig 7 (Kevin Poulton and Stuart Fischer) soundtracking the end result. For each encounter, the duo ask: what sound does this plant make? How does a plant think? The films are free-flowing, their subject matter intuitively captured through changing colour, sound and light - crucially, analogue film is utilised not just as a visual tool, but a conceptual exercise that references and mimics photosynthesis.
In 2022, Plantaphilia published a manifesto outlining their commitment to ‘stay with the trouble’, as proposed by Donna Haraway, and actively expand their views of kinship with both people and the planet. The pair problematise the approach of conservationists and the denomination of otherness or invasiveness, pointing to the parallels in how humans and non-humans are similarly identified. In keeping with their dedication to alternative and non-linear processes, the project itself is considered to be growing at a ‘plant pace’, not designed to reach any one deadline but instead to flow according to each being - both human or non-human - involved in its creation.
Biography
Plantaphilia was founded in 2016 by Iria Suarez Martinez (b.1991), who is a LAHP funded PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum in the History of Design Department and artist Paula Turmina (b.1990).
Plantaphilia has been featured in exhibitions by galleries and universities including: Myymälä2 Gallery, Helsinki (2021); Slade School of Fine Art, London (2019); Royal College of Art, London (2019); University College London (2019); Chisenhale Studios, London (2019), Black Tower Projects, London (2019) and Melissa Gallery, New York City (2018). The project has been exhibited at events internationally, including: D&A by V+T in Lisbon (2022) and SXSW Wellness Expo in Texas (2018). Plantaphilia has been published by online publishers and art collectives including Inky Leaves (2020) and Crossed Pollinations (2020).
Exhibitions
