When one wishes to explore something, to grasp the essence of a matter, something is inevitably lost along the way. But how can we look without destroying what we see? In Magdalena Bermudez's essayistic short film PARALLEL BOTANY erotically charged still lifes of fruits and plants intersect with their botanical illustrations. In the pursuit of knowledge, the objects of contemplation are placed under the knife and cut in half, seeking the inner essence and beauty of a thing that only emerges when it is divided. However, resistance stirs within the plants. Their two distinct representations collide and, in their juxtaposition, reveal the dark paradox of the unattainable – and the beauty of speculation.