Plants Alive : Representations of the 19th Century Herbaceous Drift

Since the Renaissance, images have been powerful instruments that have shaped perceptions of landscape. These representations of ‘nature’ through the image have inflicted an anthropocentric (human-centered) language onto the innate aliveness of plant life. This project highlights the dynamic expression of plants through drawing and seeks to understand how the depiction of a plant informs its use in the landscape. The representation of the plant as a static symbol impacts how we see phenomena that shifts, swarms, coevolves, and ultimately hosts human life. Through interpretations of Gertrude Jekyll’s herbaceous perennial drift, this project illustrates the aliveness of plants and asks how the plant can have agency through drawing. Can we collaborate with the language of plants, rather than speak on behalf of them? Can we ‘re-see’ the plant in the design discipline, and if so, how will this inform design decisions?Applied Science, Faculty ofArchitecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School ofUnreviewedGraduat