NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Urban Nature Project:
Putting Down Roots
Community co-creation of planters at the Natural History Museum: Urban Nature Project with Morley College brings cultural connections through plants and people.
This list would then be shared, along with rationale, reasoning and stories attached - creating wider understanding of plants, people and places amongst the group. The plant list would then be reduced to plants that could survive in the UK, and then through conversation and collaborative design, it would be decided what plants would make it into the planters at the Natural History Museum's Urban Nature Project as part of the garden to be opened in 2024.
An 8 week programme exploring and unpacking the cultural links between people and plants as Morley College students joined us in creating a list of plants that they felt most connection to - this might have been because it was a plant in their back garden or local community space; a nostalgic plant from their childhood; a plant they use to cook with; a plant from their homeland; a plant they like the smell of - there was full freedom on their choice of their favourite plants.
Putting Down Roots
Plants and humans are intrinsically linked. Plants provide us with food, medicine, clothing, and the air we breathe. Their scents, flavours and textures remind us of home and family and their beauty inspires our art. The way we use, grow and trade plants shapes our relationship with nature and each other. The planting in these containers was designed in partnership with local community gardening organisation Grow to Know and students at Morley College London, North Kensington Centre for Skills.
PARTNERS
Natural History Museum, Morley College
AWARDS & MEDIA
Putting Down Roots
PHOTO CREDIT
The Trustees of the Natural History Museum