The work in this exhibition, Medicinal Plant Cycles, draws on natural science and extensive consultations and discussions with members of the Quandamooka community of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).
These images of medicinal plants are based on the fusion of organic and photographic materials in a process of decomposition that I name the biochrome. They are generated by arranging plant samples on photographic emulsions and allowing them to transform through the bacterial micro-organic activities that are part of cyclic decay and regeneration. The process of developing images through decomposition led me to work with time-lapse photography, and the time-lapse videos record the blossoming and movement of fungi and microbes.
The audio recordings are excerpts from recorded dialogues with several Quandamooka People, and I acknowledge with deep appreciation their willingness to participate. The title of this exhibition refers to plant cycles, cycles of decay and renewal, the cycle of passing on knowledge, the cycle of time, seasons, and the constant flux of natural processes.
Through this exhibition, I hope to reveal a beauty in decomposition and raise notions of transformative cycles. This focus on Minjerribah medicinal plants aims to promote the recognition, appreciation, and value of local medicinal plants in the context of Aboriginal knowledge and natural science.
Image: Centella asiatica… anti-inflammatory… 2015, Renata Buziak
