The Permeability of the Nonhuman into the Human World
Adopting an ecological perceptive model unmasks the innate vitality and autonomy of plants as independent entities of the natural world. Traditionally, plants occupy a subversively inferior role - exploited for industrial and capitalistic gain. Yet, in the age of the Anthropocene, the emergence of the posthuman phenomenon ‘plant blindness’ signifies a positive redirection away from anthropocentricism. The image above is visually powerful, representing the interconnectedness of the natural and human world. Interweaving plant worlds, watery worlds and the human world, the image endorses a pluralist ethos that seeks to dismantle an ontological hierarchy and the dichotomy of human and nonhuman. Furthermore, the image renders human growth as one that is interdependent on nonhuman vitality. My selection of this image was acutely inspired by Henry Cuyler Bunner’s poem Heart of the Tree, which focuses on deconstructing human supremacy to highlight the intrinsic value of trees in humanity’s progression. By de-othering trees, Bunner emphasises that plants are highly valuable agents that are mutually beneficial to human life. As such, the image symbolically protests for the equality of nonhuman voices that have been silenced by Judeo-Christian tradition.
References:
Bunner, Henry Cuyler. “Heart of the Tree”. Poets.org, 2022, https://poets.org/poem/heart-tree
“Re-thinking the Human in a Multi-Species World.” Europe Now, Council of European Studies, 9 November 2021. https://www.europenowjournal.org/2021/11/07/rethinking-the-human-in-a-multispecies-world/
Sarah Laanani (z5260338)