Plants and trees in urban landscapes the counter-design of non-humans

Does nature need human activism to speak and act on its behalf – or does nature have agency? Here the intent is to address this question by looking at urban plants. Not trees, not forests, but weeds, the most undesirable kind of urban plants. Walking and roaming through urban space, one may overlook them bursting through the cracks on the sidewalk, between bricks on a wall, in a gutter or even the rooftop – but there they are. Perceived as signs of urban decay, weeds are usually pulled out. They are not ‘supposed to be’ there. Weeds and their urban counter-design has become the subject of photographers all around the world. Inspired by ecological criticism, this research takes shape as an online museum of the ephemeral, contributing with insights about the environment in cities.