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Commensalism

Without plants humans cannot survive, but plants don't need humans to survive. The relationship between humans and plants is fundamentally commensalism. Commensalism is a relation between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. And the birth of civilization marked a shift in the relation between plants and humans from commensalism to parasitism. Because the harm from settled living of humans is inevitable to plants. I have documented various forms of plants thriving in modern civilization. As a result, the appearance of plants can be categorized into those that are visible and those that are not. Visible plants have been utilized or managed by humans, coexisting with artificial structures in an orderly manner. In contrast, invisible plants are often found randomly in less noticeable places. At night, humans adorn the trunks of trees with LED light in order to embellish the city. I adjust exposure to the LED light and take photos. And then, the trees disappear, leaving only their outlines. These outlines are not the outline of living things rather the outlines of objects to install lighting.

© Wonwoo Kim 2020

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