Dominik Styk

Sterile Eden

Gardens are often a site of restriction and discipline. They are curated spaces where rules are enforced: who may grow, in which direction, and to what extent. Growth that exceeds its assigned bounds is trimmed back or removed entirely. From the sterile uniformity of grass lawns to trees trimmed into perfect cubes and walls, gardens mirror our desire to witness growth only when it unfolds on our terms, controlled and predictable. It’s only under those conditions that we permit ourselves the pleasure of enjoying it. As if we can’t fully appreciate anything we don’t control.

This mindset goes far beyond decorative gardening. In industrial farming, plants are raised in hyper-controlled environments, often cut off from soil, insects, or weather. Nature only becomes acceptable once it’s been sterilized, and made efficient. Its unpredictability is treated as a problem to solve. I respond to this urge to control by creating algae gardens sealed inside bubble wrap (or other plastic forms like tubes), with bubbles around 2.5 cm wide. Each bubble becomes a self-contained ecosystem, cut off from the outside world where nature is isolated, measured, and packaged.