Hind: €1310
Black Ink, etching( printmaking), real plants, watercolor, video
The restoration of ecosystems on lands that have experienced war can be imagined through the metaphor of annihilation. In physics, this phenomenon describes the collision of a particle and its antiparticle, resulting in their disappearance and conversion into energy. Matter is destroyed, but it does not vanish without a trace – it changes form, transitioning into another state. A similar process can be observed in nature after large-scale destruction. War devastates the landscape, disrupts biodiversity, and strips a territory of its former ecological identity. Everything turns into a kind of “void”– not an end, but a starting point containing the potential for a new cycle. From this void, like from released energy, nature begins to rebuild: the first sprouts appear – forms of life capable of surviving in the harshest conditions. These early signs of rebirth mark the transition from destruction to restoration. Annihilation, in this reading, is not a final disappearance but a transformation. With the collapse of the old order, space opens up for a new structure – one that is sometimes even more resilient than before. It is not merely a return to life, but a rethinking and relaunch of life in a new form. Is the plant real, or already a copy? It may have been the original, but it has changed on a cellular level – now it carries a part of the “other.” Or perhaps it is no longer the same plant at all – the original perished, and a double has taken its place, giving rise to a different form of life born out of violence. This is not evil. It is an incomprehensible force before which humanity loses control. Metal Sprout is a speculative project and art laboratory that explores the inner tension between destruction and regeneration in nature. This duality highlights both the vulnerability and the strength of nature in the face of human violence. Here, disappearance and “destruction” are not the end, but a transformation – a clash of opposites leading to a new state of being. Will a sprout break through where there is only void and ash? The metallic sprout, as a new reform of life, opens up discussions about the changing relationship with nature and the world, and how they are redefined when we prioritize military advancement over nature, recklessly consuming the resources of surrounding ecosystems. The project is built on the idea that violence becomes a catalyst for new life, embedding itself into the very DNA of existence. What is this brave new world, and will there be a place for humanity in it? Based on scientific and medical literature, and studies on the ecological consequences of nuclear testing and military action, I use various artistic media – painting, sculpture, graphics, and video documentation – and, as an artist-scientist, I have conducted experiments to illuminate and investigate what lies hidden in the shadow of war, deep within the earth itself. Vision makes us aware.
