Ben Cave
Bloom
Edition of 500, first edition
Bloom is a photography book exploring the world of flora through two contrasting but interrelated subjects.
A series of landscapes focuses on four plants that have been categorised as invasive non-native species in Great Britain. Once prized for their ornamental attributes, these ‘alien invaders’ are now frequently condemned for their impact on the environment and economy. The interleaved still lifes depict careful arrangements of cultivated flowers and vegetables, which have been entered for competition at local horticultural shows.
By juxtaposing these two very different ways in which human beings encounter and represent the natural world, Bloom raises questions about shifting notions of foreignness and the indigenous ideal. It highlights the often fraught relationship between nurture and control, and prompts us to reconsider our perceptions of beauty and nature.
