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Search every verified Diana Scherer interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Diana Scherer, a German-born artist based in the Netherlands for 25 years, describes her work as a "collaboration with plant roots." She uses templates placed in soil to guide root growth, primarily with oat seeds, and after several weeks harvests the resulting root structures as textile-like pieces. Scherer stated that she began this work about ten years ago, transitioning from photography after creating a series of vases planted with different plants. She noted that she collaborated with a university in Nijmegen specializing in plant roots to develop her technique. For the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, Scherer said she was invited by José Roca and designed a new pattern connected to the theme of water, including a floor piece with a xylem pattern. She described her material research as having potential for future sustainable applications. Scherer also mentioned that she examined approximately 500 different plants during a year of research, and that she designs her patterns on a computer, beginning with the "Flower of Life" pattern. She stated that she combines natural structures with human structures in her work.
“My name is Diana Scherer. I'm from the Netherlands — I was born in Germany, but I feel like a Dutch artist and I've been in the Netherlands for 25 years.”
“I work with a plant root system — I started about ten years ago — what I do is I weave the plant root system, but it's not handmade; it's a collaboration with plant roots.”
“I use mainly oats, and actually I use templates which are placed into the ground and the plant roots grow and they follow the templates.”
“After a couple of weeks I can turn the piece and harvest it, and then I have these textiles on the plant root system — so the weaving process is the growing process.”
“I used to work as a photographer and I made a series of vases — I planted about a hundred different plants in them and followed the way they adapted to the vase.”
“For the Biennale I was invited by José Roca; he wanted to show the material and process, and I also designed a new template and pattern connected to the theme — the water.”
“I decided to make a big rug or floor piece with a pattern of the xylem — xylem is the scientific name for the plant water systems and I show microscopic images of that in these templates.”
“On the other hand, I think it's interesting that my material research is really for future, sustainable and applicable material — the whole project started as an art project, but now we also do this research.”
“What you see in the exhibition is all stages of the process: the earth and seeds which will germinate in about two days — you see stages of the growing over a couple of days, a week, sometimes two weeks.”
“At the end I will turn it, cut the roots away from the soil with a knife and dry it, and then you have these textile pieces left over.”
“Hello, I'm Diana Scherer — originally from Germany and I now live in Amsterdam; I made work for the Frankfurter Kunstverein, including a piece that is basically a root work.”
“I work a lot with scientists and sometimes with designers to develop these works — for example I worked with a university in Nijmegen in the Netherlands that is specialized in plant roots.”
“I actually use the incredible power of root growth — the root searches under the earth for water, anchoring and space — so I developed stencils which I place in the soil and the growing roots grow into them.”
“I did a year of research because I really wanted these plant roots to live — I think I examined about 500 different plants; every plant has a completely different root system.”
“These structures and patterns I design start on the computer — I began with the 'Flower of Life', apparently one of the oldest patterns found, and I continued exploring the geometric order of nature.”
In a laboratory-like set up, visitors are invited to see Diana Scherer at work as she undertakes what she refers to as “collaborations ...
Ich benutze die unglaubliche Kraft des Wurzelwachstums. Die Wurzel sucht unter der Erde Wasser, Verankerung und viel Platz.
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