The visitors of the busy roof of Nosotros, the autonomous social center of the never-sleeping neighborhood of Exarchia, in Athens, must have asked themselves a certain question: what is this weed animation growing on the walls doing here?
It seems that this little plant must have been asphyxiating in an area covered in concrete. Mona Caron, the street artist who made the project, corrects the injustice by making these small bits of life stand out. These seemingly insignificant weeds rise up again in her series of paintings of urban weeds in various capitals of the world. As she describes her action: ‘I look for weeds in the city streets near a wall I'm about to paint. When I find a particularly heroic one growing through the pavement, I paint it big, at a scale inversely proportional to the attention and regard it gets.’ The artist’s keen eye draws our attention back to these neglected little beings that refuse to disappear. (1)
Taking a look in the modern history of Athens one may understand why Mona finds these weeds heroic. The inhabitants of the city witnessed a dramatic and radical urbanization which took place mainly during the 60s. Athens has been very suddenly modernized, with all its consequences. The rapid and uncontrolled construction of the city during the post-war era had an effect not only on its infrastructure, but also lead to a rapid reduction in green areas. The excessive and furious growth of the Athenian metropolitan area violently ruled over the most noble and gentle form of life: that of the plants. More than ever before, the plants suffer in the hands of man.
The relationship of humans with non-human life becomes one of mastery and exclusion and plants are left out of moral consideration. The Greek myth of Eresychthon, the king of Thessaly who refused to offer sacrifices to the gods, is probably more relevant than ever before.
The hero is said to have shamelessly entered to the sacred temple of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, and commanded his men to cut the oak tree which was placed inside it. As his men refuse to do that Eresychthon, ignoring all the rules, grabs an axe himself with the intention to hit the tree. The oak, being aware of its fate, gives out a groan and its branches and leaves start to pale. Eresychthon doesn’t pay attention and he starts cutting it. As he does so, the tree starts to bleed, but Eresychthon blindly sticks to his task. Demeter sees that her tree has been in pain and she punishes the man by condemning him to a life of famine. No matter how much he ate, he was still hungry. Finally he has to eat his own flesh and, inevitably, he dies.
Often unaware of the stories of the past and the present the city’s residents fail to notice that these small weeds are all around us, claiming back the space that was stolen from them. The weeds are always there, alive, growing through the cracks of the pavement, although people rarely pay attention to these small details. However, Mona’s beautiful work strengthens their voice, showing us that plants are not passive, imperceptible beings, but, instead, just like Demeter’s sacred tree, they suffer and refuse to die. They are autonomous and they have perception and sensitivity of their own. They communicate with their environment and they change in accordance to it. They move in intelligent ways and they breathe through the little cracks on the streets. Growing in the insanely hostile urban environment, the most abundant form of life proves itself capable to adapt to new and changing conditions.
Mona's Weeds "growing" in the roof of Nosotros, Athens
It seems that this little plant must have been asphyxiating in an area covered in concrete. Mona Caron, the street artist who made the project, corrects the injustice by making these small bits of life stand out. These seemingly insignificant weeds rise up again in her series of paintings of urban weeds in various capitals of the world. As she describes her action: ‘I look for weeds in the city streets near a wall I'm about to paint. When I find a particularly heroic one growing through the pavement, I paint it big, at a scale inversely proportional to the attention and regard it gets.’ The artist’s keen eye draws our attention back to these neglected little beings that refuse to disappear. (1)
Part of the Weeds project: Dandelion at Masjid Darussalam mosque, San Francisco.
The relationship of humans with non-human life becomes one of mastery and exclusion and plants are left out of moral consideration. The Greek myth of Eresychthon, the king of Thessaly who refused to offer sacrifices to the gods, is probably more relevant than ever before.
The plants actively live and seek to flourish.
Stinging Nettle in Barcelona, by Mona Caron
Closing with Mona Caron’s words...
"So I say crack that cement, reconnect earth to sky, our life to our dreams, and let the water reach them.
Paved-over Utopias, don't give up, rise up like WEEDS!"
Paved-over Utopias, don't give up, rise up like WEEDS!"
Watch this 4 min video and learn more about the artist's project :
WEEDS by Mona Caron - music by Rupa & The April Fishes.
WEEDS by Mona Caron - music by Rupa & The April Fishes.
1. For a further look at Mona Caron's work, visit monacaron.com.
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