„The vine that ate the south“ is the common description for kudzu, a highly invasive plant, which grows everywhere in the Southern States of America. Kudzu was introduced into the US in 1876 from Asia. Especially during the Great Depression it was widely cultivated as part of the New Deal programmes to stop soil erosion. Today kudzu is a huge problem. The plant easily overtakes complete woods, sometimes even houses or mobile homes. 

Since 2010 plainpicture photographer Sabine Bungert and Stefan Dolfen have been working on long term projects together. They are interested in the development of cities and landscapes due to social changes. Their project on Kudzu is now available as a book.