About MorePlants 2022 project

From the oxygen we breathe to the food we consume and the clothing we wear, human beings cannot live without plants. But how much do we truly understand them? In 1998, the Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH) in Switzerland established the first parliamentary discussion on the conception of plant rights.

As creators, we have worked with plants for a long time and are interested in developing this topic. The idea of plant rights can be interpreted differently based on one's life experience and knowledge. We are creating an art program that opens the space for this discussion and expands imaginations toward vegetal beings. How do you think of plants? As living entities, decorations, or both? Through creative approaches such as food workshops, audio-visual installations, we encourage audiences to think freely about what plant rights are. What can it become?

Who are we?

Yi-Han and Ju-An work together on the MorePlants 2022 project.

Ju-An Hsieh is an artist based in Leiden. She graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in 2020. Her artistic research and practice focus on the exploration of natural space, which has sparked her interest in ​​plant science.

Yi-Han Yen is a researcher and creator with a master's degree in Cultural Anthropology from Leiden University. Her research captures investigates the interpretation and care for plants in a Dutch context. As a storyteller, Yi-Han playfully continues to construct stories by creatively combining various mediums.

In this series of events, we collaborate with Leiden’s botanical garden, the Leiden’s plant shelter (Plantenasiel Leiden), and Leiden, European City of Science 2022. We will introduce the sexual lives of plants, present plant legends, and explore human-plant relationships in everyday life through the exhibitions, workshops and podcast. The opening event will take place at Leiden’s botanical garden on June 21st. In the summer months following the opening we welcome you to our exhibitions and workshops which we organize in several venues throughout Leiden.

Why we need your support

Here we ask for your support to create a website through which we integrate and promote our programs beyond the live events. Audiences who cannot participate in the live activities can join the conversation through this website, which is especially important with the current covid restrictions. We are grateful for your support and look forward to meeting you this summer in Leiden.