Promoting awareness of the need to preserve medicinal plants through toolkit(s)
Research Question
Can creative practice raise awareness of the benefits of medicinal plants? Can public engagement activities make a positive impact on ‘plant blindness’, specifically related to the biodiversity crisis facing medicinal plants.
Aims
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To explore a variety of art-science botanical documentation and preservation methods for medicinal plants.
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To highlight the importance of preserving medicinal plant specimens via a speculative herbarium collection and artwork(s).
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To raise awareness of medicinal plant uses and species loss through a series of exhibitions and public engagement activities.
Rational
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At least one significant medicinal plant is likely to become extinct every two years due to the combined threats of climate change and overexploitation (Jose, 2019).
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Research suggests that a lack of plant knowledge leads to "plant blindness," a phenomenon where people overlook the importance of plants in the biosphere. Plant blindness hinders progress towards global sustainability goals and Net Zero achievements and affects future generations seeking careers in herbariums, plant sciences, botanical gardens, or museuminstitutions (Thomas, 2021).
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This project aims to combat plant blindness by creating interactive toolkit(s) that can be used as a series of educational exhibitions and public engagement activities, raising awareness of medicinal plant uses and climate change monitoring methods.
Project Development
Highlights
January 2023
Mindful Garden is born to teach children Botany by founder Samantha Cooper as part of her practice-based research.
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February 2023
Dr Rachael Symonds collaborates and co-supervisors the project. Dr Symonds has extensive plant knowledge to guide the molecular physiology aspect of the project. ​
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March 2023
Research visits including the World Museum and John Rylands Library. ​
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April 2023
Samples of design work are produced including microscopic imagery and sample infographical zine.
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May 2023
Enrolment on to a specialist Public Engagement course hosted by the Science+Media Museum. First school drop-in session "Meet the Scientist" teaching over 100 children at Science+Media Museum!​
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June 2023
Mindful Garden exhibits at Daresbury Laboratory for interactive drop in session which allowed the project to interact with an impressive 9000+ visitors!
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July 2023
Mindful Garden exhibits at the Glastonbury Festival and recognised as an upcoming artist via the "Science not Fiction Exhibition"!
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August 2023
Mindful Garden exhibits at the Bradford Science Festival with Science + Media Museum!
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November 2023
Mindful Garden is selected at The Sefton Palm House to be part of the artist residency Bird Cage Programme!​
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January 2024
Samantha joined Botany department at World Museum!
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February 2024
Research visit to Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to UK's largest Economic Botany collection!
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March 2024
Mindful Garden is invited back at The Sefton Palm House to run Easter Botanical workshops!
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May 2024
Installation of first curatorial art-sci case display at World Museum with estimated audience reach of 200,000 visitors!
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June 2024
Mindful Garden is commissioned to produce artworks for Eureka! Science + Discovery!
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July 2024
Samantha becomes a member of NatSCA! Dr Kate Walchester from travel garden literature and Dr Jose Prieto Garcia from natural pharmacy join the research as co-supervisors.
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August 2024
Mindful Garden exhibits at Liverpool John Moores University!
Researcher
Samantha Cooper
"My practice-based research focuses on making medicinal plant knowledge engaging and accessible to the public through art-science toolkit(s) to prevent "plant blindness". I have a particular interest in plant preservation and microscopy (including light, SEM and binocular). I am receiving training at World Museum, Botany department learning preservation methods and I am also a member of NATsca."
BA (hons), MA Student.
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Liverpool John Moores University Supervisory Team:
Mark Roughley (Art in Science), Dr Rachael Symonds (Plant Physiology), Dr Kate Walchester (Botanical Travel Writer), Dr Jose Prieto Garcia (Natural Pharmacy). To find out more, click here
Let’s Work Together
If you are interested in working together or finding out more, please contact mindfulgardenresearch@gmail.com
or alternatively use the form below.