Join Caitlin Franzmann for an afternoon of events delving into stories of plant life. Taking place in her exhibition To the Curve of You, a garden tour and immersive listening session will be followed by a panel discussion about understanding and working responsibly with weeds.
Tour: IMA Courtyard (1pm)
Franzmann has been working with gardener Kate Wall to integrate new plantings into the IMA’s courtyard sculpture Corps à Corps. Franzmann and Wall have included plants commonly found on urban roadsides, disturbed sites, public parks, and residential yards, challenging us to revalue these ‘weeds’ by introducing us to their potential uses—their medicinal and edible properties—and as an indicator of the health of our gardens, soil, and ecosystems. The tour will conclude with an encounter with Achira (Canna Indica) and an immersive listening session in Franzmann’s exhibition.
Panel discussion: How Does Your Garden Grow? (3pm)
What are the ethical and cultural dilemmas of managing weeds? What are the plants telling us about the soil, about the climate, about history? How do we listen? Join Franzmann, Wall, and ecologist Renee Rossini for a discussion about understanding and working responsibly with weeds. They will share their stories about getting to know plants deemed unwanted and discuss the values that underpin such classifications. From a garden ‘soil improver’ to an environmental weed that has endangered a butterfly species, each plant interacts with the ecosystems they are nested within.
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Caitlin Franzmann has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria, New Museum in New York, and Kyoto Art Centre. She was a member of the feminist art collective Level from 2013 to 2018, co-curating exhibitions and forums with a focus on generating dialogue around gender, feminism, and contemporary art. She is a member of Ensayos, an international collective research practice centered on extinction, human geography, and coastal health.
Kate Wall is a professional gardener and the author of Working with Weeds: A Practical Guide to Understanding, Managing, and Using Weeds. With a background in environmental science and a commitment to a culture of caring, Wall specialises in teaching people to garden in harmony with nature. She focuses on sustainable approaches, encouraging gardeners to understand and work with a subtropical climate and successfully grow food, medicine, and an abundance of flowers and joy.
Renee Rossini is an ecologist with a rich experience gained researching and working along the coastlines to the arid zone, always with a strong focus on the conservation of Australia’s unique flora and fauna. She is currently Science and Education Manager at Queensland Trust for Nature and maintains her research and education positions at the University of Queensland and Griffith University.
Photo: Charlie Hillhouse.
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