Statement of Intent

Herbariums are botanical time-capsules, not only preserving physical specimens but also the world view of the collector; their values and attitudes towards the natural world, reflective of the ways in which society viewed and engaged with plants at the time. While motivated by curiosity and a desire to learn, accrue and preserve botanical knowledge, the collecting of plants in James Melville’s time was also prompted by Western values that prioritised classification, categorisation, hierarchy and ownership; narratives which fuelled and justified the colonisation of other lands, people, plants, cultures and ecologies.

There’s also the experience of the specimens themselves: living plants removed from their environment, pressed, dried and catalogued - isolated from the web of other organisms upon which their survival depends - kept between sheets and stored away like botanical skeletons. But the skeletons take on their own beauty and purpose; to educate through endurance, to contribute to an ever-expanding epistemology about the natural world that continues to shift and evolve. 

I would like to explore Melville’s herbarium and ask what has been preserved? What does the herbarium communicate and what should be preserved for the future of Wales and beyond?

What I will explore

If successful, I would like to engage with NBGW staff to select herbarium specimens that are especially relevant to the following themes:

Coloniality

Inspired by my interest and previous research into the coloniality of botanic gardens, I want to highlight specimens that played a role in British colonisation and that represent  aspects of Melville’s life, especially his career as director of a Lancashire cotton merchant with links to enslavement, and his father’s and grandfather’s roles in British-ruled India and the East India Company. 

Examples might include: cotton, sugar cane, tobacco (dependent on the content of the herbarium). 

Welsh language, folklore and history

Drawing on my passion for and research into the meanings of Welsh plant names and plantlore, I’ll also research the Cymraeg names for certain plants in the herbarium and explore especially interesting examples that pertain to Welsh folklore, mythology, history and industry. 

Examples might include:

  • ferns and horsetails (relating to the coal industry)

  • meadowsweet and clover (relating to the characters Blodeuwedd and Olwen in the Mabinogion)

  • wild herbs used by the Physicans of Myddfai

  • laver or seaweeds related to Welsh coastal cuisine

  • The Cuckoo Flower / Blodyn y Gog, reflecting the role of Cuckoo’s in Welsh rural life

  • Yarrow / Llysiau Marwollaeth (Death Plant), illustrating the fateful superstitions that the plant induced death (but was also incredibly useful to treat injuries and reduce blood loss, as reflected in the Welsh name: Llysiau Gwaedlif, (Haemorrhage Plant)

Loss and conservation

I’ll also focus on specimens that are presently at risk of extinction in Wales and require protection/reintroduction, linking with the native Welsh plants display, highlighting Welsh names and cultural significance, illustrating the rich botanical heritage of Cymru. For example, one of the Welsh names for Meadow Clary is Clais y Moch, meaning Pig’s Bruise ‘because the colour of the flowers is similar to the flesh of a pig which bruises immediately when hit or when there is an illness’ (definition from Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru).

Additionally, the Welsh name for Saxifrage is Tormaen, literally meaning ‘stone-breaking’, as with the Latin Saxifraga. This is supposedly in reference the the plant’s abilitiy to break down kidney stones, but according to 18th century Welsh folklorist Marie Trevelyan, it was  historically believed that Saxifrage could break through any rock or boulder. 

What I will make

Approximately 10-20 herbarium specimens will be selected in collaboration with staff, making joint decisions about which are the most interesting and relevant choices in response to the above themes.

Following concepts of flattening already at work in the herbarium - the process of pressing plants, the photographing of pressed plants; each activity further compressing what was once a 3D living thing - I will use photos of the chosen herbarium sheets to make detailed botanical silhouettes (cut manually or digitally from paper/card). These will be mounted onto light boxes, creating striking, monochrome versions of the herbarium sheets with a soft, luminous glow - depicting themes of light and dark, alluding to what is seen and not seen when we view plants, questioning what we know and don’t know about other beings and what they can tell us about ourselves.  

The botanical silhouettes will include Welsh plant names and visual depictions of Welsh plantlore, as well as representations of colonial and ecological elements that thoughtfully and artistically depict some of the more damaging elements tangled up in the herbarium’s existence. I envisage the silhouettes being displayed in an atmospheric gallery setting (possibly the Apothecary Hall or alternative), accompanied by individual audio tracks telling the stories of each plant, evoking their unique and complex worlds and role in the past, present and future of Welsh culture, accompanied by ambient field recordings from the NGBW, harp instrumentation and potential contributions from staff. 

I’d also like to feature weather-proof versions of the botanical silhouettes close to the living plants they depict, possibly situated in the flower beds so visitors can experience the images alongside living plants, juxtaposing the past with the present. 

The silhouette herbarium can also manifest as a book of postcards, featuring botanical tales on the reverse. The postcards can be given away in the exhibition space or even sold in the garden shop, including designs aimed at engaging children, focussing on Welsh plant names through text and illustration.

In addition to the installations and postcards, I’d like to lead a series of accessible tours around the garden (in collaboration with garden staff), showing visitors various plants that feature in the herbarium, talking about Welsh nomenclature and folklore, inviting visitors to share any stories they might have about folk plant names and uses, Welsh or otherwise. 

Note: If successful, I imagine the proposed artworks will develop from what’s been described above, evolving by engaging with the collections and conversations with staff.

What I will bring to NBGW

My intention is to create multiple spaces that encourage garden visitors, and staff, to reflect on the multiple layers of meaning plants contain within them, and the myriad ways they’ve been used, exploited, enjoyed, studied and appreciated over time. I want to celebrate and promote Welsh plant names (a topic that is rarely talked about these days) and delve into the depths of this unique botanical heritage, opening up a delightful, fascinating and intriguing array of interspecies relationships, to inspire and motivate visitors.

While addressing some challenging themes I will do so thoughtfully and sensitively, consulting with staff throughout the process, hoping to cultivate a sense of wonder and fascination, deepening the public’s relationship to Cymru’s unique botanical heritage and why its preservation matters.