Plant roots as yarn that can be woven and braided: Using a biotechnology that controls the growth of roots with the help of templates as modules, Diana Scherer creates artistic works based on her own designs.
Charles Darwin already studied the behavior of plant roots. He observed that roots do not grow down passively, but move by feeling. A root navigates, knows what is above and below it, observes gravity, and locates moisture and chemicals. This shows that plants are much more intelligent than previously thought—their hidden underground world is still largely unknown.
In 2015, Diana Scherer began her own artistic research on this topic. By studying root growth and using it for her own purposes, she creates works of art from the new material. Through the development of a biotechnique that controls the growth of plant roots using templates as modules, the root system adapts to the patterns designed by the artist. She sees the roots as yarn that can be woven and braided, creating a textile from plant roots — and thus a new material.