Fluorescent Signals
Plants have sophisticated mechanisms to adapt (quickly) to their environment. Most of this action, however, escapes our notice. Photographic technology allows us to look beyond the human spectrum and enter a parallel world that sheds new light on plant life.
When stressed, plants emit fluorescence that is invisible to the human eye. In her ‘botanical torture chamber’, Lisa van Casand exposed dozens of plants to toxic substances or other stress triggers such as chlorine, boiling water, hydrochloric acid, bleach, vinegar and fire. The images they created with specially developed cameras show how the plants react to the stress in the first thirty seconds, after which they recover – or not – depending on the damage done. By providing insight into how we can damage our environment in often invisible ways, the images question the way we emotionally interact with our green co-inhabitants.
camera technology developed with Henk Jalink from Phenovatio.
