FOTA ARBORETUM AND GARDENS, CO.CORK
Safety.Sanctauary.Set of Web.: Unfurling with Brugmansia (1 October - 2 November 2018)
Logic.Exchange.: Unfolding with Magnolia (1 - 14 April 2019)
Set 1: Safety.Sanctuary.Set of Web. Unfurling with Brugmansia
Against all odds
It is one of those moments when you enter a place and you just know, you feel it in your heart and your bones that you will be back. That was the case with Fota Arboretum and Gardens. I ended up here by ‘chance’ and as I was discovering this land I felt an increasing urge to continue exploring the first set Safety.Sanctuary.Set of Web. of my Language of Life:Language of Humanity project. The moment I saw what used to be an orangery I already knew this would be the next place of my shelter. I was really glad after a meeting with the head gardener as he was ‘grilling’ me to ensure we are ethically on the same page. He was really interested in protecting the place and wanted to ensure I would be a part of the ecosystem. We were on the same page. The time frame was agreed. He asked me many times if I was sure I wanted to go ahead with it at the time of cold and possibly rain (but there is always a high chance of that). The other amazing gardeners rushed to meet me and did not hide their thoughts that I must be a mad person to be willing to spend a whole, cold month in here. It was cold, yes, but it did not rain! There was drizzle here and there but there was practically no rain throughout the whole month. And so, I continued my endurance installation performance every day (except some Sundays) incorporating the same elements I used in Fitzgerald Park.
Scents of Tea and
Brugmansia
Loose Leaf Cork (see below) joined me to offer a delicious cup of tea to those who ventured for a walk out in the cold and ended up by my side by total surprise. There is no word for the sensation of smell derived from this magical blend to then actually taste the silkiness, warmth and embrace running through your throat just to hug your stomach.
However, the first smell to travel to people’s nostrils was Brugmansia, also known as angel’s trumpets. ‘Closely related genus is Datura - devil’s trumpets’. The smell is intensely sweet and very direct. This is a truly fascinating plant as it is one of the most toxic plants and at the same time, when dealt with knowledge not many posses - a very healing plant. I did not encounter this plant before until I became her companion for a month. Just as I was beginning my set, she also began to flower. l witnessed the small buds to slowly untangle their arms from a tight grip to slowly open up and take up more space. I was enchanted at this view and awestruck at their size, nearly as big as my head. This plant is also hallucinogenic and some people were telling me I might become affected just by inhaling it. I was always laughing ‘I might be dreaming that I am in this place and everyone who comes here’. I did not feel (or remember) anything out of the ordinary except for the extreme delight of the smell every time I entered the space and the look of further unfurling of the flowers at different stages. I had, however, an increased dreaming period at night, which was quite erotic…
There were 3 people who told me stories about this plant, which I then passed on to anyone else who was interested. One woman told me that witches used to know exactly how to brew this plant, when and what proportions were needed in order to get all the best out of it. Someone else told me how their mother burned the plant without knowing anything about it and became very hallucinogenic by just inhaling the air of burning plants and how their mother knew she was in a different state but did not know or understand what was going on and why. The last one I recall, and I just repeat here what someone told me, was that this plant was brewed to make people sleepy in the care homes but sometimes they killed some people because they got the proportions wrong. I am certainly intrigued by this plant, especially the drastic dichotomy. Lesson: one thing can be either good or bad depending on perspective, skills and use. Look and listen closely to make the best out of the situation. Please, let me know of your experiences and lessons with this plant, too.
LOOSE LEAF CORK:
Gingerbread Biscuit Orange Rooibos blend with pink peppercorns, coriander, orange, pistachios and almonds. Rooibos tea has an earthy, slightly sweet, and refreshing flavour, and is naturally caffeine free.
Set 3: Logic.Exchange. Unfolding with Magnolia
also as a part of Life Long Learning Festival
01 - 14.04.2019
Water -
Cork Environmental Forum
I continue this installation by displaying the same elements as I did in the Cork City Library: ‘answers are on a white material in an attempt for it to look like clouds. As per the usual structure of the Silent Conversation Installation, people were asked to attach an element to the answer which resonated with them most, here, in a form of a water droplet . Each water droplet contained information/facts about water kindly provided by Cork Environmental Forum. I fell in love with CEF the moment I started their GAP (Global Action Plan) programme. They deliver it for free and educate in an intimate group setting about how to live greener. I found it super useful and learnt a lot, which directly affected my behaviour, too. Do check them out.
![[© Natsuo Ikegami/Getty Images]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f01ff503fd0f73427de3ca3/1594847585794-XJ4I2QCE3JSYN5XBMOXN/dew-drops-of-lotus-leaf_.jpg)
[© Natsuo Ikegami/Getty Images]
The Silent Conversation Installation
Last time I was in Fota I collected fallen foliage of Jōmon Sugi, Cryptomeria Japonica and used it to create the sentences for the new display of answers to questions about logic, which I first showed in the Cork City Library. There is an amazing spot with a family of these trees nearby the ex-orangery. Corinne Kennedy writes ‘Its historical and cultural role in Japan is very similar to that of Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar) in the Pacific Northwest. Both were essential to the spiritual and material lives of the native peoples, and were used to construct buildings, furniture and household goods. The leaves of Japanese Cedar were burned as incense, and the straight trunks were used as pillars for temples and other buildings. In addition, Cryptomeria trees were often planted around shrines and tombs’.
Camellia japonica and the squirrel
Camellia japonica 'Lavinia Maggi'. I am not sure where the surprise came from, whether the plant or an animal, but for sure I was left speechless. Camellia Japonica was spreading her flowery charms in full blossom next to the ex-orangery. I had a lot of time to observe it, especially early in the morning when it was still very quiet. I was pondering upon the size of it and the amount of flowers it had when I noticed a squirrel. I jumped (only inside not to scare it away) from excitement as I am particularly fond of these creatures. It happened before and I was sometimes very close to it, looking at the wagging tail and at the same time looking the squirrel straight in the eyes. Yet, something else happened, which shocked me. It happened pretty much around the same time of the day and I tried to capture what I saw but it turned out to be quite challenging. Possibly you have already guessed what the squirrel was doing? Yes, it was drinking the nectar from the flowers! Relatively, such a simple and obvious thing came to me as a form of enlightenment, literally and metaphorically.
I was telling this story nearly to everyone who interacted with my project and how I interpreted it to rethink what I consider I have access to, for, I, myself might not be tuning into an obvious source available to me. Turned out many people I shared this with said it really resonated with them. I do not want to say anything but if you are reading this, then maybe, just maybe….
One lady responded in a way that interested me. She said she has been doing this chant regularly:
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
I decided to follow it up and read about it. The picture to the left was on the website and I was awestruck again.
The meaning of this chant is explained on this website and I am choosing to quote a few sentences from it, which reflect some of the ideas behind the project.
‘Nam comes from the Sanskrit namas, meaning to devote or dedicate oneself. (…) It is a pledge to oneself to never yield to difficulties and to win over one’s suffering. At the same time, it is a vow to help others reveal this law in their own lives and achieve happiness.
‘Myo can be translated as mystic or wonderful, and ho means law. (…) awakening to the fundamental law in their own lives, bringing forth wisdom and compassion’
‘Renge, meaning lotus blossom. (…) The lotus flower is pure and fragrant, unsullied by the muddy water in which it grows. (…) Further, unlike other plants, the lotus puts forth flowers and fruit at the same time. In most plants, the fruit develops after the flower has bloomed and the petals of the flower have fallen away. The fruit of the lotus plant, however, develops simultaneously with the flower, and when the flower opens, the fruit is there within it. This illustrates the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect; we do not have to wait to become someone perfect in the future’
’The Chinese character kyo also implies the idea of a “thread.”
One to one spoken word performance of Logic.Exchange.Disregarding Ethics for One’s Own Gain, will Make Future Wear Oppressing Chain.
First displayed in the Cork City Library, now here. I will repeat same words from the entry in the library: ‘Discovering this lady did not come without an adventure. All I will say for now is that I was stuck in a lift in Crawford Art Gallery before I finally saw her piece on the top floor of the gallery titled Atmosphere. I still remember experiencing it vividly and go back to that moment when I wish to get close to that feeling. It was very gentle, soft and floaty. It was so, so beautiful I could not speak for a while. I really wanted to incorporate it into my event as it complemented the many elements present in the project, and the water element being a literal one. Yet, logistically it was hard to do without any funds or help. She was already back in The Netherlands and I was left by myself to handle my whole event again’. Unfortunately the same was true in this situation again. ‘We had a conversation and she decided to do another piece responding to the project, which resulted in The Sea you see above’. Luckily, the head gardener agreed to help me put this up and it was quite an endeavour! He needed to get a huge ladder, which needed assembly in order to be high enough to safely attach the installation. It had such a different feel to it in this space, very dreamy. Where is the horizon, where one thing begins and another ends?