How political plants can be?

Photographer Flo Maak deliberately chose Pepper House Kochi for his bangaloREsidency in order to study and document the sea and land from as close to nature as possible. With a few words and evocative images, he allows a brief insight into his experience and colourful everyday life in Bangalore and Kochi.

I deliberately formulated my artistic project for the bangaloREsidency in an open manner, because I hadn't been to India before and didn't know what to expect. While at first I was broadly interested in the worldwideweb of the oceans and the deep entanglement of nature and culture in it, I focused my research on so-called invasive species in the coastal region around Kochi. The discussion about these and the relationship between “native” and "alien” species is intensifying worldwide in the wake of climate change and changing ecosystems. A general fear of the foreign, and racist stereotypes, regularly fuel these discussions. After three weeks, I have seen and learned a lot, among other things that the tropical flora and fauna in Kerala differs so much from the more familiar situation in Europe due to greater biodiversity alone. There is much less concern here about newcomers, but rather attentive observation and careful management where necessary. A much bigger issue with regard to climate change is the threat of land loss due to rising sea levels.