texts and contributions

• 1999 :: vegetation and art - 10 theses
• • # living things should be treated with respect for their own message
  • # nature is our primary reality. the experience of nature is a universal human value. vegetation is the basis of our existence.
  • # in art, nature becomes revolution.
  • # bonsai, constricted and malformed trees or plants are not art. they are perversion.
  • # in dealing with vegetation or plants in art, the artist needs in-depth knowledge about what he is working with.
  • # to bring plants and art together is a challenge for art.
  • # art in nature is totally superfluous. art can add nothing of significance to nature. the statements of nature are perfect.
  • # the restoration of natural relationships can be an artistic act.
  • # in view of what we imagine nature would do without human intervention. a park is, generally speaking, culturally impoverished nature.
  • # the ideals of the zen garden - asymmetry, simplicity, spontaneity, the absence of formalism , are nowhere as clearly accessible to visual experience as in naturally flourishing vegetation.
    what wonderful things are 'abandoned lots', terrain vague, where mugwort, blackberries, thistles and wasteland take over.
• herman de vries, 1999
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