Am I wrong?, field research in Omach
The general definition of a ‘weed’ is ‘a plant in the wrong place’ or ‘a plant growing where it is not wanted’.
Where then is the right place for a plant to grow?
There was a Sicilian plant on Mount Etna, the most active volcano in all of Europe. The plant was introduced to the United Kingdom around 1690 via the Oxford Botanic Garden. However, its exact route of migration remains a mystery. Since then, the plant has been wandering and mingling with the British people, whether they know it or not. This is the so-called ragwort (with its origin in ‘ragged wild plants’), commonly called a weed.
The Rise of The Ragwort by Daily Mail (2013) and The Ragwort Fairy print by Mary Cicely Barker (1923)
Pieter van der & David Loggan, Le Jardin de Medecine an Oxford, 1707; Storer J & H, Botanic Garden, 1821; Abel Evans, Vertumnus: An Epistle to Mr. Jacob Bobart, Botany Professor to The University of Oxford, and Keeper of The Physick-Garden, 1713
Ragwort, the Horses Worst Enemy?, World Horse Welfare, 2007
To the Cushag's Friend by Josephine Kermode, 1907
Cushag(Common ragwort's Manx name) was the national flower of the Isle of Man in Victorian/Edwardian times.
Cushag(Common ragwort's Manx name) was the national flower of the Isle of Man in Victorian/Edwardian times.
The Ragwort (1921) by Arthur Bliss, performed by Emma Johnson; Judith Howarth; Malcolm Martineau,
British Clarinet Music ℗ 1994 ASV Ltd.
British Clarinet Music ℗ 1994 ASV Ltd.
The plant is supposed to grow on Mount Etna where there are no horses, field research in Sicily
Botanical advisors:
Simon Hiscock (Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Dawn Sanders (Biology educator at the University of Gothenburg)
Mark Brent (Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Simon Hiscock (Director of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
Dawn Sanders (Biology educator at the University of Gothenburg)
Mark Brent (Curator of the Oxford Botanic Garden)
A project supported by a-n The Artists Information Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
In loving memory of Helen Michael (1972-2021)
A mind map of the book Weeds written by Richard Mabey
May you be in a better place where morality alone can never reach,
field research in Oxford
field research in Oxford
두산인문극장 기획전 《우리는 개처럼 밤의 깊은 어둠을 파헤칠 수 없다》 전시 전경, 두산갤러리, 서울, 2024, 사진: 양이언
DOOSAN Humanities Theater Special Exhibition You Cannot Elaborate the Dark Thickness of Night As They Can Installation view, DOOSAN Gallery, Seoul, 2024, photo by Ian Yang
DOOSAN Humanities Theater Special Exhibition You Cannot Elaborate the Dark Thickness of Night As They Can Installation view, DOOSAN Gallery, Seoul, 2024, photo by Ian Yang