A Curious Herbal
The interactive project A Curious Herbal explored medicinal plants growing in our immediate surroundings through a workshop series, a publication and an exhibition. Thanks to a collaboration with the Prinzessinnengarten in Berlin and generous funding by the Berlin Senate, this multifaceted project took place in 2022.
Workshop, Exhibition and Guidebook
Learn botanical watercolor techniques and discover the medicinal plants that grow within our urban ecosystem. Many of the plants that we consider “weeds” have historically been used as medicinal plants (Heilpflanzen). The genre of botanical illustration arose out of a need to document and identify plants for medicinal and ritual purposes. Join us as we learn about plants, collect specimens and draw and paint from close observation.
The plant portraits created during the workshops will be compiled into a guidebook Zine. An exhibition will take place at the Prinzessinnengarten, so that we can share our creations with garden visitors, friends and family.
The title, A Curious Herbal, is borrowed from the 1739 publication by Elizabeth Blackwell, which was the first herbal (a publication of medicinal botanical illustrations) to include medicinal plants brought to Europe from the Americas. While Blackwell was likely referring to the strangeness of these recent arrivals, we will use the word “curious” to refer to ourselves. Our Herbal will be the product of an attitude of curiosity taken towards our immediate surroundings. A curiosity that leads to an appreciation of the biodiversity and cultural richness found within our urban ecosystem.
