Route in Root out
- Collaborative Work:
- Organic Reflections
- Problem or Prejudice
- Choice
- Sound Art Science
- Emerge
- Cycle
- Figs
- Route in Root out
- Oak Meadow
- Outside Inside & Outside
“ROUTE IN ROOT OUT”2004 Betty Rymer Gallery, Institute of Art, Chicago. U.S.A.
Mixed media Installation
One bespoke packing crate 85cmL x 26cmW x 30cmH (wood) containing herbal remedies (glass, plant remedies, wadding) displayed alongside projected image (Alien Debate), Shipment Papers, Culpeper's "Complete Herbal”
“Route in – Root Out” examines the cultural attitudes towards alien plants of British origin within the Chicago region, plants that are now perceived as an invasive problem. The Chicago Botanic Garden lists 22 British species as invasive aliens. 21of these species were colleted in the U.K. and using recipes from Culpeper’s “Complete Herbal”, made into ointments and tinctures, bottled, and shipped to Chicago (one listed plant, now rare in the U.K., was ommitted).
The open crate, recipe book, and Customs and Excise papers (illustrating the controls for plant products in legislation today) were juxtaposed with projected images from Aliens-L open on line forum (hosted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature) relating to debates surrounding "eco-Nazism".
The work comments on the cultural element in the changing of landscapes and the human impact, past and present. The history of the alien plants put into a context directly relating to the cultural heritage of Chicago , juxtaposed with current concerns and arguments for their eradication and/or acceptance.
