Nature of Rotterdam Open Studio Documentation
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Video 1: My lemongrass friend
Video 2: Eating instant noodles with Lemongrass
Video 3: No rain under the umbrella
Sculpture/Object installation: Planting a pot
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Video 1: My lemongrass friend
Video 2: Eating instant noodles with Lemongrass
Video 3: No rain under the umbrella
Sculpture/Object installation: Planting a pot
A Plant Friend Against the Rain
Open studio, Nature of Rotterdam Residency, the Netherlands2025
Video 1: My lemongrass friend
Single-channel video, Colour, Sound, 03’28”, lemongrass in vase
Video 2: Eating instant noodles with LemongrassSingle-channel video, Colour, Sound, 02’57”
No rain under the umbrella
Single-channel video, 00’18” loop, phone, umbrella, bloom
Sculpture/Object installation: Planting a pot
plant pots
When I first arrived in the cold, rainy Netherlands, I couldn’t stop thinking about a Thai superstition: if a virgin woman plants lemongrass upside down, it can stop the rain. Fast forward to this May, it’s been unusually dry, not a drop in sight. I started wondering if the lemongrass here might be feeling a bit… unemployed. No rain to stop, no virgins in sight, just lying around in the (super)market, bored out of her mind.
She’s an alien here, just like me. Uprooted from familiar soil, unsure of her role in this new climate. I could relate. Having gone through phases of self-doubt while unemployed, I know that feeling all too well. So, I decided to befriend the lemongrass and bring her along to the Nature of Rotterdam Residency for the whole month. Together, we tried to shake off our existential blues—took walks in the garden, soaked up some sun, and did a fair bit of staring at the horizon. It was my way of helping her feel useful again (and maybe myself, too).