Bien Carel
Writings

The Disjunction Between Urban and Natural Elements (2025) Structural Unstability
cr
cr  
cr.....
crack

          How does a crack in concrete happen?
          How does it make a sound? Does it make a sound?
          Can our eyes observe the moment of the crack? Or only after?

          Cities of concrete
          Cold, grey concrete covering the streets and buildings
          I always wonder how moss finds its way into the cracks
          How does it know where to go?

          Where to find those small spaces in the midst of crowding walls 
          and streets
There is a disjunction between humans and the planets. Our ‘species’ is separated from the ‘external’ nature. At least this is what is often perceived to be the case.[1] It is not a question whether humans intervene within nature. The growth of urban spaces influences local ecosystems, as well as the climate. Natural elements within the urban environment are highly curated (reflecting the structural character of urban space). The elements are placed where it is suited and beneficial, and removed where it causes disturbances. 

However, multiple studies have demonstrated there to be an interactive relation between humans and nature.[2]  In the urban spaces, where it is all very compact and constraint, moss and grass are still able to find ways to grow in between the urban elements. They get between the cracks of concrete, or in between the tiles of a pavement. The smallest spaces allow for these elements to establish themselves, and ‘invade’ the urban space.

This is also the case with trees. When trees grow, their roots expand in the soil. However, resulting from urban construction, the soil has gotten too compact; and roots are unable to get enough oxygen. Out of necessity, they relocate towards the surface. The roots manifest themselves between the urban elements, searching for the space in between, following the existing structure. They follow the lines of the roads and paving stones.

up

straight, straight, left, straight, straight, straight, straight, left, straight, right

           right, straight, straight, left, straight, straight, left, straight

                            right, straight, left, straight, left, straigt

                                                right, straight, left


The roots come up in order to survive, making them more present. In addition, as the roots establish themselves on the surface, it weakens the structural integrity of urban elements, possibly damaging buildings and making streets subsidence. The following of urban structures by trees, while simultaneously weakening these structures, showcases the interconnection between urban and nature; exhibiting the relation between humans and nature.

As humans reshape landscapes for the benefit of urbanization, the memory of what was there before gets lost. Nevertheless, these past memories of human and non-human are not gone. They can be found in tracks and traces, which Tsing et all[3], calls ‘ghosts.’ As tree roots come to the surface, and moss and grass grow between cracks, they become ‘ghosts;’ functioning as a reminder of destruction caused by greed and power relating to the constant need for progress. The survival instincts of these ‘ghosts,’ showcased through the demand of presence, remind us of our existence as species and our need to survive.

Within this present time that is characterized by rupture and disjuncture between local experience and the planet as totality, there is a need to ask questions about “how the planet as system can be signified.[4]As DeLoughrey argues, in order to recognize the disjunctive relation between humans (which he relates to history) and the planet (nature), questions about narrative and representation are of importance. He proposes the use of allegory, as it is embedded in history and its characterization of the construction of a world system. Through allegory, other worlds can be created focusing on parallels and disjunctions of the present in relation to an often dystopic future. This becomes evident through the use of particular figures, signifying the general, placing it in time and space by means of narrative.[5]

up, curve, bend

                                                                           the centuries old tree

concrete placed over my limbs, claustrophobic sense creeping up on me

nerves getting pressed down and severed

I have a lost feeling, my safeness is threatened

The once stable soil is feeling cold, making me shiver

I cannot move                          feeling stuck                             lost

Searching for strength 

going up                        -                        The surface moves

I curve and bend

myself and the pavement, structured following and obstructing


[1] Elizabeth M. DeLoughrey, “Introduction,” in Allegories of the Anthropocene (Duke University Press, 2019).

[2] Dipesh Chakrabarty, “The Climate of History: Four Theses,” Critical Inquiry 35, no.2 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1086/596640.

[3] Anna Tsing, Anna Heather Swanson, Elaine Gan, and Nils Bubandt, eds.,  Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene (University of Minnesota Press, 2017).

[4] Elizabeth M. DeLoughrey, “Introduction,” 3.

[5] Elizabeth M. DeLoughrey, “Introduction,” 5.
BibliographyDeLoughrey, Elizabeth M. “Introduction.” In Allegories of the Anthropocene. Duke University Press, 2019.

Chakrabarty, Dipesh. “The Climate of History: Four Theses.” Critical Inquiry 35, no. 2 (2009): 197–222. https://doi.org/10.1086/596640.

Tsing, Anna, Heather Swanson, Elaine Gan, and Nils Bubandt, eds. Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet: Ghosts and Monsters of the Anthropocene. University of Minnesota Press, 2017.