Peter Pellettiere - "An Exploration into Vegetation"
An Exploration into Vegetation
When an organism looks “alien” to us, what qualities does it have? You might imagine the lush, extra-terrestrial rainforest of James Cameron’s Avatar, or even the monstrous human-eating plant from Little Shop of Horrors.It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that often those tasked with imagining convincing alien plant specimens look first to earth-dwelling species. At the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, Connecticut, sculptor Peter Pellettiere is memorialized through a collection of his works which explore this same relationship between the Earthly and the otherworldly.
The Slater Memorial Museum is best known for its vast collection of antique plaster casts of ancient statues. When one exits the area where they are exhibited and enters the mezzanine where Pellettiere’s creations dwell, they might feel they’ve entered another world. As the room contrasts with the rest of the museum, exemplified by the emptiness of this particular exhibit and the echoing of ones feet, there is a substantial change in subject matter. The series of “floraform plaster sculptures[1]”, all-white and situated on the cold stone floor of a small, glass-walled room, at first appear unfamiliar. The oversized plant specimens, each displayed upon an unadorned, off-white pedestal, give the room and its contents a sort of celestial sterility. The pieces are detailed with such care and specificity that they feel almost like objects of worship, and despite their apparent artificiality, that they might begin to breath at any moment.
Was it Pellettiere’s intention to create this atmosphere of uncanniness? The museum’s placard states that the series is “based upon his percept that all sculpture should bring together form and human concern; that it should thoughtfully convey the human condition.[2]” Indeed, while they first evoke images of the botanical, several of the pieces easily relate to the inner workings of the human body. One, clearly labeled as ‘Impatiens Bud’, appeared first to me as a simplification of the human brain and spinal cord. Another, labeled ‘Narcissus Bud (Double)’ is a bulb with offshoots that call to mind the valves of the human heart. Perhaps it is this mix of similarity and dissimilarity that evokes the label “alien” in many cases. I’m reminded of “the uncanny valley”, a term used to describe the strange revulsion many get when things appear human, but aren’t quite right[3]. Though most often used in relation to Artificial Intelligence, I feel it can most certainly relate to Pellettiere’s study into plant and human anatomy.
Pellettiere’s sculptures are in fact scientifically accurate. He took concise measurements of each natural form before scaling them up in size. They were then directly modeled in water-based clay over wire armatures[4].I find that while these forms are in many ways familiar, buds and bulbs of common plants such as poppies and dogwood, they are presented so as to give an unfamiliar perspective. At a much larger size, we are able to see small details of each organism which are imperceptible in their natural state of being. Pellettiere also appears methodical in the way he chooses to crop the individual pieces. Only in the few examples of bulbs are we able to see an organism in its entirety. The buds, cropped just where they begin on the stem or slightly before it, resemble anatomical illustrations or models of human bodily structures. These techniques help to blur the line between humanoid and plant structure, allowing us to ponder what makes the two so different in our perception.
I’m unsure if Peter Pellettiere’s exhibit answers every question it conjures, but that may very well be by design. The botanical specimens so faithfully suggest human form that they feel neither plant nor human, at least to me. I feel that anybody remotely intrigued and not wholly disturbed by questions of the existential nature would find this collection a valuable and thought-provoking look at the often over-looked nature of life on and potentially beyond Earth.
Works Cited:
[1]Zoe, Vivian, and Leigh Thomas. "New Micro-Exhibition in the "Bubble"." The Muse, Summer 2013, 2.
[2]Ibid.
[3]"Uncanny Valley." Wikipedia. February 20, 2019. Accessed March 04, 2019.
[4]Ibid.