AERIAL ROOT SHIBARI

SHIBARI USING FORAGED AERIAL ROOTS AS ROPE FROM THE FLORIDA INVASIVE PLANT EPIPREMNUM AUREUM (POTHOS)

WHILE BEING ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR HOUSEPLANTS DUE TO IT'S FAST GROWING AND RESILIENT NATURE, THE POTHOS POSES A THREAT TO FLORIDA'S ECOLOGY. IT CAN EASILY ESCAPE CULTIVATION, EVEN A SMALL NODE THAT FALLS TO THE GROUND CAN ROOT AND SWALLOW TREES. POTHOS SPREAD QUICKLY AND AGGRESSIVELY AS A GROUND COVER COMPETING WITH OUR DELICATE FLORIDA NATIVE FLORA. BEING A VINE, IT NATURALLY LOOKS FOR HOSTS TO ATTACH ITSELF TO; OFTEN TREES. IT STARTS IN THE GROUND, ONCE IT FINDS A HOST IT WILL START GROWING ADHESIVE AERIAL ROOTS AND LARGER LEAVES AS IT CLIMBS UP IT’S HOST . ONCE THE POTHOS REACHES THE TOP OF THE TREE OR BECOMES TOO HEAVY IT CASCADES DOWN GROWING AERIAL ROOTS WHICH WILL ROOT INTO THE GROUND AND RESTART THE CYCLE BECOMING STRONGER EACH TIME AND EVENTUALLY KILLING ITS HOST. THIS IS WHAT THE USE OF SHIBARI REPRESENTS IN THESE PHOTOS. SHIBARI TRANSLATES "TO TIE" IN JAPANESE; THE CONTEMPORARY MEANING OF SHIBARI DESCRIBES THE ANCIENT JAPANESE ARTISTIC FORM OF ROPE BONDAGE. FORAGED POTHOS AND TREE STUMPS FROM LANDSCAPE WASTE WERE USED FOR THIS SET. THE AERIAL ROOTS USED AS ROPE ILLUSTRATE THE THREAT INVASIVE SPECIES LIKE THE POTHOS CAN HAVE ON ECOSYSTEMS.

MODEL:NAOMI LIOY SHIBARI KNOTS:ARNAUD PAGES CREATIVE DIRECTION: PLANT PSYCHE