Bibliotheca

“Gone” by Timothy Prus

In his latest book, author and curator Timothy Prus has uncovered new evidence to suggest that the first life forms on Earth were created by plants. Descending from space on an exploratory mission the early flora became the planet’s first inhabitants, creating all the other living creatures. Eventually the plants eradicated other life forms by folding time, in what is known as the moment of ‘Gone’.

Illustrated with images from the Archive of Modern Conflict, ‘Gone’ condenses a history of plant photography through the lens of alien invasion. Including known and anonymous artists, forgotten women photographers such as Amelia Elizabeth Gimingham and Berthe Jacqes also form a key part of the narrative. Studies of horticulture and gardening are intertwined with space exploration and technological innovation in (an imagined?) world without humans. Part reportage and part magical realism, ‘Gone’ is an allegory for the cyclical nature of evolution.