Rhizomatic

Chicago Botanic Garden

Medium: Installation art, digital prints on linen, photography, collage, graphic design, and illustration

Location: Chicago Botanic Garden - Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden and the Farm on Ogden

Artist statement: Rhizomatic is a collaborative art installation between Essentials Creative and the scientists and staff at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The project is inspired by the rhizome as a philosophical concept developed by theorists Deleuze and Guattari. The installation weaves together cultural and scientific stories about diversity and collaboration. Featured plants in the artwork include ginkgo biloba, pawpaw, horsetail, white sage, eastern prairie fringed orchid, kernza, and amaranth. We aim to contribute to multicultural perspectives on plants, share the Garden’s scientific research, and explore rhizomes as a metaphor for interconnectedness.

Ginkgo is valued in Chinese Traditional Medicine, symbolizes resilience in Japan, and its fruit, consumed before ripening due to odor, holds cultural significance in fertility, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism.

Ginkgo biloba, a dioecious tree with variations in leaf structure and color, survives due to its swimming sperm fertilization, attracts animals for seed dispersal, and is a living fossil named from the Japanese term "silver apricot."

Eastern Prairie White Fringed Orchid, endangered and reliant on pollinators and controlled burns for survival, involves citizen science efforts to track and sustain its population.

Platanthera leucophaea relies on specific sphinx moth pollinators and fungal hotspots for propagation, thrives in tallgrass prairie wetlands, and uses wind dispersal and a fleshy tuber to survive fires.

Horsetails, used in Asian and Native American traditional medicine for their nail, hair, and kidney benefits, also function as natural sandpaper and are resilient enough to thrive in future climate changes.

Equisetum, a living fossil with silica-covered stems and asexual reproduction via rhizomes, reproduces through spores that respond to humidity, and its name derives from Latin words for 'horse' and 'bristle.'

Amaranth, celebrated by Indigenous women as a symbol of resilience, is a nutritional powerhouse and key crop for food sovereignty, gaining recognition despite historical suppression.

Amaranthus, renowned for its high nutritional value and protein content, is grown globally, supports sustainable agriculture, and attracts various pollinators, with its name linked to the Greek goddess Artemis.

Originating from the Levant region, Kernza brings a unique nutty flavor and lower gluten content to your favorite foods, including pasta, bread, and beer. Discover how this innovative grain is shaping the future of food with its diverse culinary applications.

Thinopyrum Intermedium’s deep-reaching rhizomes, stretching up to 20 feet, play a crucial role in soil health. These roots support a rich microbial ecosystem, improve water retention, and enhance soil resistance, making Kernza a champion of sustainable agriculture.

Paw paws, symbolizing cultural links for Native Americans, are promoted for African empowerment by activists and are valued for their custard-like fruit, diverse culinary uses, and medicinal plant parts.

Asimina triloba, America's largest native fruit tree and a living fossil, reproduces via rhizomes and clonal growth, with seeds historically dispersed by megafauna and indigenous people, and relies on a mutualistic relationship with various pollinators.

White Sage is vital in indigenous traditions for its medicinal and ceremonial uses, facing overharvesting issues, prompting community actions to grow and protect it.

Salvia apiana, drought-tolerant and native to dry, sandy, rocky soils in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, attracts bumblebees, carpenter bees, Bombyliidae, and hummingbirds; seed banks protect its future.