Weed Matters is an artistic transmedia installation that proposes the invasion of a neoclassical interior of a building with wild weeds, challenging their traditional aesthetics.
The installation transforms a Potsdam Rathaus corridor or lobby into an immersive experience, that comments on how a city administers its relationship with weeds. This installation challenges traditional notions of weeds as undesirable plants and invites visitors to reconsider their ecological significance and potential benefits within urban environments.
The public is confronted with the contrasting vision of wild organic matter infiltrated in a crack, that splits an orthogonal ornamental floor, typical of erudite architecture. With this unexpected invasion, we seek to question preconceived notions of nature’s aesthetics while inviting visitors to consider the role of weeds in creating sustainable and biodiverse urban environments and reimagining our relationship with urban flora.
The installation is materialized in the construction of an OSB box, where a fake checkered floor is installed. Underneath, a niche serves as a “flower pot”, over which a crack is opened, and the weeds are placed. The weeds should be recollected as close as possible to the area of the building, through a minimally invasive procedure. We propose that by the the end of the event they should be carefully replanted.