Under strict security measures, a firebug that has been living in the Plänterwald since the 70’s will guide us through the ruins of this park for human entertainment. After more than half a century of constant laughter and screams, the sepulchral silence that today dominates this mythical landscape allows us to listen attentively to the voice of this small insect. Between choreographies, flapping wings and its work as a pollinator, the firebug takes the time to share stories such as that of the traditional plant communities that grow in the ironworks of the 20th century, that of the weeds that resist glyphosate, the story of the flowers that will not die with climate change and also some mythologies of forbidden plants. In short, great post-industrial attractions that you will never find on your screens.
In the performance, some paragraphs from How to grow livable worlds by Natasha Myers and Notes from Amaranth Land I & II* by Julia Mensch were quoted. (*realized in the framework of Plants_ Intelligence. Learning Like a Plant 2022 – 2025. Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and hosted by the Institute Art Gender Nature, Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW).
Who has invited these Plants? took place as part of the “Swamps and Stars“ festival 2023, which was conceived and produced by Planetary Listening (Kat Austen, Miguel Buenrostro, Kate Donovan, Florence Freitag, Brandon LaBelle and Michelle-Marie Letelier).
Technical support and audio recording: Niko de Paula Lefort
Photos: Piotr Pietrus, Miguel Rozas and Nicolas Rupcich
to download the script and photos of the performance:
Español (with some texts in English)
Deutsch (with some texts in English)