Still Life with Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed, introduced to Europe in the 19th century by Philipp Franz von Siebold, is now widely despised for its aggressive spread and is heavily targeted for removal in places like the Netherlands. In Japan, however, it is known as ITADORI, traditionally used for pain relief and appreciated as a seasonal food, coexisting more naturally within the ecosystem.

In the Still Life with Japanese Knotweed, a glass work created using the pâte de verre technique, Hiroi draws inspiration from Adriaen Coorte’s Still Life with Asparagus, focusing on the fact that while knotweed is appreciated as a “spring ingredient” in some regions of Japan, it is regarded as an invasive species and subject to eradication in others.

Through this contrast, the work questions how what is considered valuable or undesirable shifts depending on culture, context, and ecosystem.
 

Concept, Research and Development: Kumi Hiroi 

Curator: Alice Smit (Zone2Source) Actress:Yuki Homma, Camera and Sound Recording: Yoshiya Hirayama, Sound and Music advise: Bram Kneest Special thanks to: Natsuko Kageyama, ROY, Mayu-chan, C.J. (Chris) van Dijk, Scientist, Plant and Environment at Wageningen Plant Research and Teams at Zone2Source