A green vista in the urban city of the 21st century is a rare sight. The gulf between human beings and plants and greenery is an ever-increasing one, especially in the urban areas. Ecologically speaking the modern urban world of advanced technology, which humans inhabit seems to have little room for plants and greenery and this fact is disturbing. Hybrid Ecology refers to the coexistence of these two worlds. When nature through innovative designs forces humans to come in contact with them, it simultaneously sensitizes humans to the existence of nature all around. An example of such a design would be the ‘Growth Plate’ designed by Andrew Harmon, a student of the School of Art and Design, Northern Michigan University.
The Growth Plate combines greenery with objects that we cannot avoid coming into contact with in our daily lives. For instance there is a spot of green on a switchboard. The most interesting aspect of this is the extremely unique way in which Nature has been juxtaposed with something as removed from it as electricity and so on. When a person during his daily activities comes across greenery in mundane objects like switch boards, the person is forced to acknowledge and be aware of the existence of plants as another living representative of the same ecosystem which he or she inhabits.
This awareness generated by the Growth Plate goes a long way in making him or her more sensitive towards the other species and thereby encourages a positive attitude towards them during interactions. These interactions in turn result in an active participation of the person in his or her immediate environment. To state it very simply, the person is no longer a part of an isolated world; he or she is in direct contact with the other living representatives of the environment. The separate worlds are brought closer and a balanced harmony is created.
Via: nmu
