Caroline Bachmann
Painter Caroline Bachmann (1963) lives and works between Cully and Berlin. Her figurative canvases are characterized by a synthetic pictorial language that develops in a very slow studio practice, the primary aim of which is to deepen, extend, and even dilute production time. Bachmann's instructions demonstrate the power of the image by providing clear instructions without text. The artist succeeds in encouraging an action that is as easy as it is unusual: the mental representation of the invisible elements that are the roots of trees.
Fun Fact
The invisible root system of plants is just as diverse as the visible part we are used to seeing. Some roots, such as those of desert plants, seek water at depths of several dozen metrers; others, such as bamboo, grow mainly horizontally below the soil surface. The roots of some plants, such as dandelion, are pivotal, giving them a better grip. Mangroves, on the other hand, perch on their roots, enabling them to grow in flooded environments. Aspen, meanwhile, forms a forest in North America, where all the trees are in fact connected by their roots, making up one of the world's largest known organisms.
Call to Action
Tree roots not only seek water, but also nutrients from decomposing soil. Clearing fallen leaves in autumn, or mowing grass too closely in summer, dries out and impoverishes the soil. Make piles of dead leaves and/or leave a strip of tall grass at the foot of trees, and try to convince your local green spaces department to do the same.
Riddle
What is the maximum length that bamboo rhizomes can reach in natural conditions?
A) 5m
B) 30m
C) 90m, longer than three blue whales!
D) 350m
Instruction