The collective findings of various contemporary research have proclaimed an unsurprising discovery in the world of plants. Scientists have come to the conclusion that plants are able to see, smell and feel. Even more remarkably, they are entirely capable of expressing thoughts and relating vital information to their plant neighbours. In a modern city, humans become the neighbours of the trees and bushes planted in busy boulevards and secluded courtyards. Men share the same air and space with these plants, but we often fail to truly recognize their worth. Regrettably, plants, especially those cultured in pots and flowerbeds, are regularly regarded as parts of a decorative backdrop. 

Plantillusion is a form of personalized nature documentary that aims to rectify this misconception. Its images are created under the most peculiar circumstances. Coerced by the isolation and physical restrictions of COVID lockdowns, a new sense of intimacy has emerged between me and my houseplants. This work is simultaneously a diary, an herbarium, a private family album, and an essay of self-reflection. Above all, it is a visual documentary that revisits and reinvents the relationship between me and the plants I personally care for. 

Plantillusion primarily focuses on the human attentiveness towards plants that live in close proximity with us. Additionally, it reexamines the role of humans as a social collective within the natural world. The hustle and bustle of human activities have long been muting the subtle whispers of our green neighbours. Perhaps the delicate details of this documentary could inspire insight and a new form of perspective as to how we should function as an ordinary species — a subservient component — amongst others on this planet.