Interwoven： Mutual Domestication Between Humans and Plants
Jinrong Jia
Interwoven explores mutual domestication between humans and plants—a quiet, reciprocal process of shaping. At its core
is a fictional obituary for a man named John Lin, interlaced with one written for a dying ginkgo tree. The act of
mourning a tree—traditionally seen as nonhuman—is evidence of mutual domestication: we treat the tree as kin, not as an
object. Through this parallel narrative, expressed in a stitched textile and printed publication, the project reflects
on how presence, memory, and influence persist across species and beyond death.
Installation [Front]
The front of the textile presents two obituaries—one for John Lin, one for a ginkgo tree. Together, they reflect mutual domestication: when a tree is mourned like a person, it becomes part of the human world, and the human becomes part of the natural one.
Installation [Back]
The reverse unfolds their intertwined stories: John Lin’s quiet life told as narrative, and a century of neighborhood change witnessed by the ginkgo tree. Each reflects what the other’s obituary affirms—subtle, enduring influence across time.
Installation
Stitched into one double-sided textile, the cloth is cut into the silhouette of a tree stump. From its base hang dark threads—roots that remain. As with obituaries, what lies beneath—unseen, unspoken—still shapes what follows.
