Semiotic Study of Carnivorous Plants | Pratt Institute School of Design

As a symbolic language, carnivorous plants are rich in meaning relating to death, sex, desire, and love. As morphological symbols, carnivorous plants are also related to science fiction and reproductive cults. This study will explore the trap characteristics in carnivorous plants and their potential to inform our cultural understanding of the erotic. The symbolic exploration of carnivorous plants can be connected to art, philosophy, history, the feminist movement, and sci-fi movies. This topic is relevant not only to a niche group of gardening and plant lovers but also to design researchers and artists interested in symbolic aesthetics. The plant is no longer seen as a plant per se but as a symbol of human nature.

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Carnivorous Garden

Inspired by female sexuality and the predatory characteristics of carnivorous plants, Carnivorous Garden uses vibrant colors and bold strokes to capture the essence of botanical metaphors. The design of the Carnivorous Garden starts with the carnivorous plants’ symbolic meaning and explores their relationship and female sexuality. Based on previous research, I connect carnivorous plants with sex, love, death, and desire. It also serves as a symbol of female seduction, which is the foundation of the garden design. The garden establishes a dialogue about redistributing women’s social power and dynamically and aesthetically pleasingly breaking the stereotype.

Garden View Video

In the Carnivorous Garden, different plants represented different female body parts while retaining some dangerous characteristics of carnivorous plants in appearance and color. The association of some plants with female sexuality is explicit - the morphology of parts of the plant or the whole directly mimics the female sexual organ. This project is modeled and rendered by blender.

Garden View

Feminism, Eroticism, and Carnivorous Plants

Feminism, Eroticism, and Carnivorous Plants is a book documenting the process of semiotic study and Carnivorous Garden.