'Maybe someone is starting to bloom' (solo)
26 June - 17 July
PARASITE GALLERY
Tāmaki Makaurau
Tāmaki Makaurau
MAYBE SOMETHING IS STARTING TO BLOOM
C. FORRESTER IN RESPONSE TO LAURA DUFFY @ PARASITE
I WAS A DAISY ON THE HUMAN’S FACE. THE HUMAN HANDS
PLUCKED ME FROM THE SOIL. I HAD GROWN ROOTS THERE, FINE
THREADS DOWN IN THE DIRT, BUT EVEN SO I WAS EASILY
UPROOTED. I WAS UPROOTED ALONGSIDE MY OTHER DAISY
FRIENDS. WE RESTED ON THE FACE OF THE HUMAN. AS WE RESTED
THERE WE FELT THE SUN COME DOWN. AS WE RESTED THERE WE
FELT THE WARM BREEZE. AS WE RESTED THERE WE HEARD THE
HUMAN WHISPER << HOMO >>. I UNDERSTOOD THIS WORD TO MEAN
<< SAME >> AND I RECOGNISED MYSELF IN THEIR CALLING; THAT IN
THIS WHISPER THERE WAS SOMETHING AKIN TO LIKENESS
BETWEEN MYSELF AND MY DAISY FRIENDS AND THE HUMAN’S
FACE UPON WHICH WE WERE RESTING. THERE WAS SOMETHING OF
A THREAD GROWING BETWEEN US AND THE HUMAN, INVISIBLE
THOUGH IT WAS. I DID NOT HAVE LIPS LIKE THE HUMAN’S, NOR
EYES, NOR A NOSE, NOR A VOICE TO SPEAK. AND I WAS NOT REALLY
<< I >>, BUT THEN AGAIN NEITHER WAS THE HUMAN. REALLY << I >>
WAS COMPOSITE AND SO WERE << THEY >>.
BY THE TIME THE HUMAN CAME AND PLUCKED ME I HAD BEEN
THROUGH MANY STATES OF CHANGE. I HAD BEEN A SEED FROM MY
PARENT DAISY. THEN I HAD LIVED BENEATH THE GROUND. IT WAS
VERY DARK DOWN THERE. I’D HAD TO BE STRONG, STRONG
ENOUGH TO PUSH UP PAST THE GRASS. WHEN I PUSHED UP PAST THE
GRASS I SAW THE SUN. THEN I ATE THE SUN AND THEN I BECAME
THE SUN. I TURNED ITS LIGHT INTO ENERGY AND I USED IT TO KEEP
GROWING. I GREW MANY SOFT AND DELICATE PETALS AND I WAS
MADE OF MANY THINGS; OF SUN AND RAIN AND DIRT AND
NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS. I MADE FRIENDS UP THERE ABOVE
THE GROUND. I MADE FRIENDS WITH THE OTHER DAISIES AND WITH
THE WIND AND THE BEES. I LOVED THE BEES. THEY CAME BY EACH
DAY, HOVERING BY ME AS THEY DRANK MY NECTAR AND COVERED
THEMSELVES IN MY POLLEN. << DON’T WORRY >> THEY ALWAYS
SAID. IN RETURN, THEY TOLD ME, I WOULD BE IMMORTAL. I
LOOKED AT THE YELLOW POLLEN ON THEIR FURRY BEE BODIES
AND SMILED. I COULD FEEL MYSELF IN MY OWN BODY AND IN THE
LITTLE SPECKS OF POLLEN ON THEM. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I
FELT THE INVISIBLE THREAD. WHEN NIGHT CAME AROUND I
WOULD CLOSE MYSELF AND THEN I WOULD OPEN AGAIN IN THE
MORNING. I WOULD TURN AND FACE THE SUN AND GREET THE
WORLD.
AFTER THE HUMAN PLUCKED ME AND MY DAISY FRIENDS, AND
AFTER WE RESTED ON THEIR FACE AND HEARD THEM WHISPER <<
HOMO >>, THE HUMAN STOOD UP AND WITH MY DAISY FRIENDS I
ROLLED OFF THE HUMAN’S FACE AND ONTO THE GRASS. I FELT THE
HUMAN WALK AWAY, AND LYING ON THE GRASS I FELT THE PETALS
OF MY FRIENDS AGAINST THE PETALS OF MY OWN. WE WERE
THIRSTY, UPROOTED, AND WITHOUT OUR ROOTS IN THE EARTH I
KNEW WE WOULD NOT LAST LONG. IT TOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS.
BEING COMPOSITE, I HAD BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE ACT OF
COMPOSING; A PROCESS OF MAKING DISPARATE THINGS UNIFIED.
BUT NOW I FELT MYSELF BEGIN THE ACT OF DECOMPOSING, AND I
FELT THE THINGS THAT HAD MADE ME BECOMING SEPARATE ONCE
AGAIN. I BEGAN TO LEAVE BEHIND THE UNIFIED FORM OF MY STEM
AND PETALS AND POLLEN AND BIT BY BIT I FELT MYSELF
SPREADING INTO THE GRASS AND SOIL, LOOKING LESS AND LESS
LIKE A DAISY UNTIL I WAS NO LONGER ONE. AND THOUGH I WAS
PERHAPS THE OPPOSITE OF GROWING, UN-BECOMING AS I WAS,
STILL, I THOUGHT TO MYSELF:
MAYBE SOMEONE IS STARTING TO BLOOM.