• A Garden of Care Tools Gijs de Boer

    Rakes

    A Rake, like a doormat, produces a distinction between dirt and clean. It draws the old leaves and young weeds out from the plants and flowers that were planned, planted. It may look like Rakes practice care, but as long as planned plants are proxies for something we humans want, like a nice view or free veggies, it’s selfcare in disguise. Rakes – the logic of Tools in this corner – draw boundaries between organisms for our use and organisms outside of that. They make some plants resource and others weeds. Meanwhile they cast humans as rakers, the emperor who decides. But in either option, plants are objects: part of the earth that doesn't need to be saved on Noah's arc, that wouldn't think nor feel, that just create the conditions for us and all other animals to shine.