Across the four exhibition chapters—Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter—processes of growth, loss, memory and change are brought to light to explore the question of what new forms of research and action can emerge in the relationships between people, plants, and knowledge. Artists with family ties to Chile, Australia, and New Zealand, Nigeria, Mauritius, India, and Jamaica bring their cultural and biographical perspectives into dialogue with the researchers from the University of Bonn.
The first chapter, “Spring: What Does Pewen Dream Of?”, features artworks by Neyen Pailamilla. Neyen Pailamilla’s make possoible that plant knowledge can be experienced as a form of an embodied, spiritual and communal process—between people, plants, water, and memory. They explore experiences of diaspora, uprooting, and enduring connection, as well as the transmission of knowledge within Mapuche spirituality and philosophy. Neyen Pailamilla is a queer Mapuche artist who works with performance, textiles, and audiovisual media. Pailamilla lives and works in Zurich.
In addition to the artistic works, participatory activities invite visitors to actively engage with the exhibition.
Scent Lab, in cooperation with the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology: In the Scent Lab, visitors can smell plants, examine them under a microscope, and explore them through drawing. In workshops, plants can also be distilled, and the sense of smell can be explored as an interplay of the senses—at the intersection of art and science.
Family Reading Rug, in cooperation with Der Kleine Laden e.V.: For families and young readers, there is a dedicated area here: the Family Reading Rug, curated by the Bonn-based association Der kleine Laden. The association for the promotion of children’s and youth literature has compiled a selection of books that spark an interest in stories about plants, gardens, water, and habitats.
Library for Black Ecologies, in cooperation with the Theodor Wonja Michael Library: North Rhine-Westphalia’s first Black library has curated a selection of literature for the exhibition that highlights the perspectives of African and Afro-diasporic people. The books explore their relationships with the land, plants, waterways, and urban spaces. They address the ecological consequences of slavery and colonialism, as well as knowledge, resistance and visions of self-determined futures. Visitors are invited to share sentences or thoughts from the books that particularly moved them in the exhibition.
Educational Research Project Botanic Futures, in cooperation with the Botanical Gardens of the University of Bonn: Students at the University of Bonn have collaborated with artist Parisa Karimi to create cyanotypes (plant prints) and zines (self-published magazines) that invite a fresh encounter with plants. In the process, questions of migration, resistance, perception, and naming are explored. Karimi has also animated the cyanotypes. Visitors can download an augmented reality app and watch as the cyanotypes come to life.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS). It is organized in cooperation with the Botanical Gardens of the University of Bonn and the Department of Pharmaceutical Biology at the University of Bonn.
The exhibition opening will begin with a performance by Neyen Pailamilla at 4:00 p.m. in the Botanical Gardens. At 6:00 p.m., the opening celebration will continue at the Global Heritage Lab. All interested parties are cordially invited. Starting Friday, March 20, the exhibition will be open during the Global Heritage Lab’s regular hours, which are Wednesday through Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Media contact:
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Binter
Argelander Professor of Critical Museum and Heritage Studies, University of Bonn
Deputy Director of the Global Heritage Lab, University of Bonn
Julia.binter@uni-bonn.de