Tag: Bonsai

Bonsai at 14

January 24, 2026 By arne hendriks Off

Bonsai are an ongoing fascination of The Incredible Shrinking Man. They both show the resilience and beauty of smallness and represent some of the paradoxical aspects of human/nature relationships. Bonsai are creatures that teach us ways forward while reminding us of the delicate relationship between…

The Zooms: Overgrowth

October 3, 2023 By arne hendriks Off

“Overgrowth“ is a large video projection of a bonsai tree by the British artist Ceal Floyer. The Incredible Shrinking Man first encountered the work during the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009 where it was presented at the end of a long corridor. As such it…

Japanese Miniatures: Tokonoma

July 26, 2013 By arne hendriks 0

Our cultural environment bombards us with signs that bigger is better. The very notion of shrinking creates such internal conflict that we are inclined to ignore its obvious benefits and condemn the whole idea to the realm of mad science. We lack a framework that…

Japanese Miniatures: Immortal Bonsai

March 9, 2013 By arne hendriks 1

A tree in nature and growing under perfect conditions, will grow until it reaches the predetermined height and width for that species within the given environmental circumstances. Upon reaching full potential the now massive amount of foliage at the incalculable number of branch tips is…

Aquarium Fish & Bonsai Birds

January 10, 2011 By arne hendriks 0

For the Disproportionate Restaurant we investigated a different range of ingredients. During Transnatural several chefs created a map of small ingredients and prepare a menu for The Incredible shrinking Man. Both were offered for tasting. The premise for the research within the Disproportionate Restaurant is…

Plant-stress and Size

May 4, 2010 By arne hendriks 1

As with animals, Plants can be dwarfed through genetic engineering and selective breeding, but environmental stresses  such as soil quality, light, drought, flood, cold, infection, and herbivory, can also lead to a dwarfed stature . However the majority of dwarfing in plants does not directly occur…