“Juuretikand”

2023

The roots of plants mostly live their secret lives underground, but we could also try to extract such valuable material and redirect it into new areas. I wondered if roots could offer a natural alternative to 3D printing and embroidery machines? This was the starting point for the ‘root printing/root etching’ project, where nature embroidered itself and the human hand only guided.

I gave nature a lush Jõelähtme handwriting pattern to embroider. How much can nature update it so that we still recognise it and embrace it? How much can our national heritage be renewed? It is a sensitive question – if not renewed at all, the pattern may simply disappear into oblivion, but if renewed too diligently, it will lose its connection with the original. So where is the line between anticipation and caution? Could past patterns still be kept alive by future techniques and materials?

Dimensions: 100×100 cm
Materials: linen, wheat seeds
Technique: authoring technique “cultivated pattern”
Participation in exhibitions: –

Photos: Marin Nooni