Lecture
ONA Fokushalle E7
Geneva Unbuilt (2/2)

Parliament of Plants: a Post-Anthropocene View on Nature and PeopleCéline Baumann

The plant kingdom is in fact a republic and the Parliament of Plants grants Nature its own representative body. By giving a voice of the botanical world, the Parliament of Plants tackles issues of races, gender, normativity, and inclusivity through an intersectional lens. It opens a post-anthropocene space for reflection, challenging the belief that matter and intelligence should be dissociated and regarding flora as more than a mere commodity. It explores the power of trees, shrubs, flowers, and herbs as a source of inspiration, providing alternatives to the way we design and act, whether on the scale of a territory, a public space or a private garden.

Céline Baumann is a French landscape architect based in Basel. Her eponymous studio operates in the fields of urbanism, landscape architecture, and exhibition. She aims through an intersectional lens to create dynamic open spaces, informed by the interactive ecology between people and nature. This design work is complemented by a commitment to writing and research, allowing her to explore the collective value of nature and its impact on individuals.

Baumann is currently Future Architecture alumna, Akademie Solitude fellow, and recipient of the youth awards of the International Federation of Landscape Architects Europe. Her work has been presented in institutions including the Oslo Architecture Triennale, the the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Alnarp.