Weeds of Penzance Exhibition

Weeds of Penzance was a interactive, exhibition of artworks made entirely from local plants. Held in The Gardeners’ House (GH), a heritage building and charity in the heart of Penzance. GH is dedicated to the unique stories of the town’s people while connecting to the spaces and nature surrounding it.

The exhibition focused on celebrating the discarded, forgotten, despised and rejected plants, from garden waste to weeds. Many of these plants came from the gardens themselves that surround the GH, while others were gathered from nearby fields, walkways, alleys, public and private gardens.

Dandelion series

I collected up to 300 individual dandelion stems after the seeds of the ‘clock’ had flown, gathering from the pathways and allotment edges in town and fields near Penzance. Dandelions are the ultimate symbol of strength, they have multiple medicinal and nutritional benefits, and are a hardy, pioneering plant, helping restore poor soil. The combination of the flower, bud and seed heads are sometimes known as the sun, moon and stars.

The exhibtion questions the language used to describe plants, whether; native, non-native, weeds, introduced or invasive, as well as the value and purpose of plants themselves. Alongside this, heritage crafts, many of which are on the red-list of crafts at risk of going extinct here in the UK, were used to create the artworks, highlighting forgotten skills that link us to our past.

Lily Palm series

Lily Plam, Ti Plant, Cabbage Palm is a common sight across Penzance, having been , the lower leaves turning brown and scattering across parks, graveyards and pavements. A member of the asparagus family, the young leaves have been eaten raw or cooked. I collect the dying leaves, methodically splitting them to reveal the fibres, elevating something considered waste into a strong material to create with.

The exhibition featured four series of objects, based on four different plants; Cleavers, Cordyline, Daffodils and Dandelions. Each series explored the plant material through shape, form, techniques and stories that each object evokes. Visitors were encouraged to touch and smell the works too, nothing was out of reach or under glass, making it a feast for the senses as well.

Praise for ‘Weeds of Penzance’

‘Like Braiding Sweetgrass in the flesh/fibre’

‘Utterly, utterly beautiful, we need more of this kind of work’

‘I came away with a smile on my face’