Eden Exhibit
What would you do if your salad bit you back or started to talk? Eden? Plants between Science and Fiction, a multimedia exhibit about the role of plants in science fiction literature and film, invites you to engage in exactly this thought experiment. Conceptualized by graduate students at the University of Münster in Germany, it is on display at the University of Arizona in Fall 2022. Featuring killer plants from outer space and utopian gardens of the future, the exhibit highlights poems, (graphic) novels, and films that are all about plant protagonists. By bringing together the natural sciences, visual culture, and literature, the curators ask us to pay attention to what we often consider to be mere scenery and examine our thinking about plants. In light of our current ecological crisis, an encounter with plants as intelligent beings who talk back might just enable us to imagine different ways of living together on our shared planet.
The exhibit will be shown across two spaces on the University of Arizona campus:
- Exhibit I: Oct 4-Dec 22 at the Poetry Center (1508 E Helen St, lobby), Tue-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 9AM-3PM
- Exhibit II: Oct 28-Dec 9 at the Tree Ring Lab (1215 E Lowell St, lobby), Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5PM
Entry is free, and tours for classes and groups are available upon request.
Learn more about how the exhibit was conceptualized in Münster, Germany by curators Katharina Scheerer, Christina Becher, and their team.
The exhibit will be accompanied by a series of events:
Sept 29, noon-1PM: “Vegetal Eroticism: Plants between Science and Fiction,” talk by Joela Jacobs at the UA Herbarium
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Oct 11, 7PM: Screening of Little Shop of Horrors at The Loft Cinema as part of the Tucson Humanities Festival (get free tickets at the Loft on Oct 11)
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The film will be introduced by Joela Jacobs and Katharina Scheerer.
Nov 5, 9PM: Eden Burlesque Show, featuring Tucson Libertine League, at 191 Toole (doors 8PM, 21+, $12-15)
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Featuring plant speed dating and spoken word by Joela Jacobs and Katharina Scheerer. 20% of the proceeds will go to plant conservation.
Nov 7, 2:30-3:30PM: “Vegetal Eroticism: Plants between Science and Fiction,” talk by Joela Jacobs at the Arizona Senior Academy
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Nov 16, 7-8PM, “Super Carrots and Killer Vines: Plants between Science and Fiction,” Humanities Seminar lecture with Joela Jacobs and Katharina Scheerer at the Rubel Room & live-stream ($10, registration required)
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Contact & Organizers: Joela Jacobs (joelajacobs@arizona.edu) & Katharina Scheerer (scheerer@arizona.edu)
The exhibit and events are sponsored by the University of Arizona Poetry Center and Tree Ring Lab, as well as the International Office and the Kulturbüro of the University of Münster, with support from the University of Arizona College of Humanities and the Department of German Studies.






