On gardening

In my photographic research, I overcome my own plant blindness and explore the life of plants as shaped by humans  in the informal urban settings around the UAE

The point of departure for the project was the notion of plant blindness - a term coined by two botanists, James H. Wandersee and Elisabeth E. Schussler, in the late 1990s. They define it as ’the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s environment; the inability to recognize the importance of plants in the biosphere and in human affairs; the inability to appreciate the aesthetic and unique biological features of the life forms that belong to the Plant Kingdom; and the misguided anthropocentric ranking of plants as inferior to animals and thus, as unworthy of consideration’. In the current global context of rising temperatures due to climate change, plant blindness poses an urgent consequence, and the role of plants in most urban surroundings presents an altered meaning. 

My photographic documentation of the UAE cities is my own way of overcoming plant blindness and a way of wanting to feel at home in a new country, where everything seems designed and has its strictly functional role between the maze of roads. I explore patterns and narratives in the life of plants as shaped by humans in public space and start with the most visible and what is designed to be seen and looked at - the green areas planted for purely decorative reasons, sustained by extensive watering systems and by city gardeners in any temperature.  Many (if not most) of these spaces cannot be accessed by foot and can be seen from the car, so I begin to walk around the cities. First, I discover how shopkeepers and residents plant and maintain their own tiny green areas or connect with the existing plants. Using air conditioning water and often constructing improvised and impressive solutions to connect it with plants is common.  Putting a chair in front of a shop right next to a plant pot is common. Flower pots in front of shops, bigger gardens planted in front of residential buildings or trees used shade or storage - once I start looking, I discover them everywhere. Shopkeepers are not sure why I'm taking photos of them, whether I represent authorities or if I simply don't understand this is nothing extraordinary. The treatment of plants is not always ideal, many of them hide more trash than some trash cans.  And then! In (not always) hidden alleys of inner cities or in remote industrial areas, I find small fruit, vegetable and herb gardens. Tomatoes, holy basil or moringa tell me more about the cities than the carefully trimmed lawns. Good, there more of us here who need to feel ‘at home’ in the city of cars and invisible gardeners. This need manifests itself through gardening and through small acts of resistance, as in most cases the gardens are illegal. I visit  the same spots a few times to see if the gardens are still there or if the municipality had them removed, which happens a lot and for the same reason, many of the gardeners (if I ever get to meet them) don't want to be photographed.  Sadly, many of the gardens in the photos don't exist anymore.