‘Essentials’ is a project by Marleen Boschen and Rebecca Kirkpatrick, the second in a series of residencies hosted by The Mycological Twist garden. Started in the darkness and unwelcoming climate of winter, ‘essentials’ will be a self­managed resource of medicinal plants. Investigating tactics around dependency, refusal and self­reliance, what all chosen species have in common are pharmacological properties around decreasing sensitivity to stress and anxiety.

PART I ­ pre­-treatment

after danger of frost has passed
they will creep around to form a dense patch
a cool damp position
and tolerate various types
when large enough to handle
barely cover with more soil

To mark the beginning of the life cycle you are warmly invited to the soft launch of ‘essentials’ on Friday, 22nd January 7-­9pm at the Jupiter Woods garden. This is an invitation only event.

Events surrounding growth, harvesting and ingestion of the plants will take place in the following months:

PART II ­ harvest the roots in five to seven years
PART III ­ they ate nothing but leaves

Rebecca Kirkpatrick and Marleen Boschen have collaborated since 2009; previous projects have been shown at the ICA, The Really Free School and Beefstock. Works include Meditations On, a holistic relations meditation, and Palm Sway, a commissioned experience and artists’ retreat in Dungeness as well as investigations into environmental settings and group processes.

http://www.adaptogenic-essentials.com/

This residency is kindly supported by Arts Council England