Where the Wild Things Grow... | Discover Unique Botanical Art - Explore Now — Kalev Erickson

Where the Wild Things Grow

Inspired by John Wyndham’s 1951 science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids, this speculative botanical archive reimagines plants as agents of movement, transformation and autonomy. Blurring the boundaries between observation and imagination, the project explores the uncanny potential of the natural world, rooted in the notion that reality can often be stranger than fiction.

Close-up of a large Bottle Tree growing from a cracked rocky ground in Socotra with a mountain and blue sky in the background.

A geodesic dome illuminated in green with a pink sky background, showing some leaves and branches inside the dome.

Multiple glass bottles with silver foil caps used for propagation, with green plant cuttings inside the bottles.

Close-up of a tree trunk with moss and fungus, surrounded by dark green leaves and plants in a jungle setting.

A hillside in Socotra with sparse rocks and dry soil, topped by Dragon's Blood trees, with thick trunks and umbrella-shaped green canopies, against a clear blue sky with a faint moon visible.

Socotra, a distinctive Dragon's Blood Tree with a thick trunk and upturned canopy, surrounded by other similar trees and bushy vegetation, under a clear blue sky.

Close-up black and white photo of a Dragon's Blood tree trunk, bark textures, and a hollow cavity, with blurred background foliage.

A small bottle tree succulent growing in rocky desert terrain at night on Socotra island.

A small bottle tree succulent growing in rocky desert terrain at night on Socotra island.

Illuminated futuristic Supertree in Singapore's Gardens by the Bay with blue geometric branches and lush greenery underneath against a black background.

Close-up of a date palm tree base that looks eerily similar to a giant spider.

An old church completely enveloped in foliage. In the foreground, there are some weathered stone crosses, suggesting a graveyard, with tall grass growing around them.

Close-up of a weathered tree stump with concentric rings, covered in green moss and small white lichen, with a deep crevice in the center.

Close-up showing the texture a bottle tree on the island of Socotra.

Socotra, a bottle tree with thick, smooth, pale trunk and Dragon's Blood tree with green, spiky, umbrella-shaped foliage on rocky terrain with a partly cloudy sky in the background and green light leak in the foreground.

Close-up of cannon-ball tree branches with spherical balls and small leaves at night, in black and white.

Clusters of yellow-orange mushroom fungi growing on the bark of a tree

A tree with a hollow trunk in a forest, covered with green moss at the base, surrounded by fallen brown leaves.

Close-up of the roots and base of a palm tree on a beach, resembling a mollusc.

A moon-lit desert scene featuring a tall, thick succulent plant with a bulbous base and a tall, elongated trunk, topped with sparse, small green leaves, against a clear blue sky.

Black and white photographs (RPPC's) of a flowering plant, identified as Silver Sword, Haleakalā, Maui, with one image showing a light background and the other a dark background.

A black and white photo of numerous 'cobra' plants growing densely on the floor.

Close-up of the textured bark of a tree trunk at night with grass and leaves at the base, in black and white.

Where the Wild Things Grow installation for Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ FOTO ARSENAL WEIN, Vienna, 2025/26. © Michael Seirer Photography.

Where the Wild Things Grow installation for Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ FOTO ARSENAL WEIN, Vienna, 2025/26. © Michael Seirer Photography.

Where the Wild Things Grow installation for Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, 2024/25.

Where the Wild Things Grow images in Hôtel de Ville Metro station. Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris 2024/25.

Where the Wild Things Grow images in Bréguet–Sabin Metro station. Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, 2024/25.

Where the Wild Things Grow images in Bréguet–Sabin Metro station. Science/Fiction: A Non-History of Plants @ Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, 2024/25.

back to top

© Kalev Erickson