Practical Proposal, Synthesis & Rationale Fantastic Flora Botanical Collection Practical Collection 1: Fantastic Flora: ‘Leeds Winter Herbarium’ • Aim // Rationale • Content - Botanical species of plant observed growing in various locations around Leeds, during the winter season (October 2017 - January 2018) - Each specimen has been collected, dried and dissected / studied to provide insight, visual content and reference material for the produced artwork within this zine. - Each plant is then created out of paper, from this reference and scientific approach, to produce a papercut replica of the plant. - The scientific information accompanying the art is obtained through the detailed research into each plant species collected, to include interesting facts about the specimen’s location, varying properties, anatomical parts etc recorded. • Applied Methods (theory into practice) - Observation - Collecting, recording & drying physical specimens - Scientific study and dissection methods - Scientific research (primary & secondary) into each plant species & their properties - Illustration process - artwork created from observed & dissected dried specimens - Educational and informative to appeal to wider audience - Scientific accuracy in information and annotations about each specimen to still have purpose and relevance to science
• Inspiration / People of Note - 1600’s Leonhart Fuchs’ observational herbals - 1800’s Expeditions, Discovery and collections - Floras / Florilegia - Modern day: Kew Herbarium / botanical gardens - Mary Delany’s botanical collage / papercuts - accuracy in science - Clover Robin (insta) - papercut botanicals - Brie Harrison (insta) - botanical painting, seasonal plant subjects - Quote: Herbarium & the traditional illustration process • Media Working directly from dried specimens Scans of dried specimens // photography Papercut artwork Digital zine assembly - InDesign Digital printing • Process Synthesis Herbarium process attempted - still used by botanists and illustrators today Scientific approach: - Physical herbarium (observation, collection and preserve (drying) of botanical specimens) - Study and dissection - Accuracy in scientific research, species information and accompanying annotations
Practical Proposal, Synthesis & Rationale Fantastic Flora Botanical Collection Artistic approach: - Papercut process parallels the process of scientific observation and dissection. - In science, dissection of a dried botanical specimen ultimately takes the plant apart to better understand its anatomical parts and properties. - Whereas when applied to this investigative creative papercut approach - the research method of collection and dissection of dried plants aims to study the plant in detail in order to piece a version of the plant back together in the form of a paper cut specimen. - The study of a plant and its individual parts through dissection enables the artist to understand its anatomy and individual parts in detail to better replicate each part in paper for assembly. - Papercut acts in ways a dried specimen can’t, i.e. retains colour, deterioration and the freedom of aesthetic to create a more lifelike rendition. Scientific purpose: - Florilegium - provides information on specific plants growing in a particular location (Leeds) throughout a specific time period: (winter 2017-2018) - informative & accurate (scientific / taxonomic information about the species) - An accurate botanical record / collection Wider purpose, appreciation and appeal: - Zine publication - interesting, relevant, contemporary, creative, aesthetics, artistic - Informative // documentary, record, reportage // Educational - Postcards - Decorative, informative and educational
• Deliverables: - Fantastic Flora: Leeds Winter Herbarium = Zine = Postcard collection of the artwork - Development: Leeds Winter Herbarium = Dried specimen’s sketchbook - Research (primary & secondary): Leeds Winter Herbarium = Evidence on blog • Further Proposals & considered outcomes // For extended full ‘Fantastic Flora’ botanical collection - Fantastic Flora: Leeds Winter Herbarium = Poster Note: An illustrated visual compendium of plants found in Leeds throughout winter // herbarium artwork Seasonal additions for the collection: - Fantastic Flora: Leeds Spring Herbarium = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection of the artwork - Fantastic Flora: Leeds Summer Herbarium = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection of the artwork - Fantastic Flora: Leeds Autumn Herbarium = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection of the artwork
Practical Proposal, Synthesis & Rationale Fantastic Flora Botanical Collection - anatomical aesthetics, botany classification & categorisation Practical Collection 2: Fantastic Flora: ‘Rare’ - Expeditions, Discovery and exotic collections
• Aim // Rationale • Content An illustrated visual compendium / illustrated collection of the top rarest plant species globally, according to the “Red List” 2018 environmental data and survey. Scientific information included: Taxonomic class, environmental concerns, plant location, causes of a species current rarity, what the plant is used for, why it has declined as a species, why conservation is important… etc • Applied Methods (theory into practice) - The collating of scientific research to inform artwork - Observation from reference material - The categorisation of research to communicate a particular message i.e. a top 10 visual compendium of rare plants to convey environmental messages and inspire interest in botany as well as conservation efforts and awareness - Adoption of modern research methods - gathering secondary research & reference material (online etc) - taking photographic reference material of rare plants on excursions (most commonly now housed and cultivated in botanical gardens for research instead of existing in the wild) - accuracy in visual depiction of plant species and their varying anatomical parts • Inspiration / People of Note 1500’s - Fuchs Herbals, plant identification, location, properties 1800’s: - Linnaean Taxonomy
Modern Day: technology, access to research material and variety of contemporary approaches to illustration, Botanical gardens, botany, Environmental, conservation message Katie Scott - educational, decorative, scientific Lloyd Stratton (insta) - vignette arrangement, stippling Owen Davey - vignette layout / categories, composition and arrangement • Media - Traditional scientific illustration - drawing, stippling - Not drawn from life so no colour added to avoid inaccuracy - Digital layout & composition, edit, application of colour - Digital printing methods • Process Synthesis Scientific approach: Collecting reliable primary and secondary research Reference material used where access to actual specimens has been difficult due to the rarity of plants species depicted Research and scientific understanding of a plant, its anatomical parts, facts and data Accurate use of text and annotations to inform Artistic approach: Drawing from observation in botanical gardens Collecting reliable primary and secondary reference material to create artwork on plants which are difficult to physically access or observe in nature due to their rarity and foreign location/environment
Practical Proposal, Synthesis & Rationale Fantastic Flora Botanical Collection The format and composition of botanical illustration used to convey scientific concepts and further meaning / categorisation such as a plants rarity and why Traditional method and use of stippling for illustration Scientific purpose: Accurate botanical illustration and scientific information for correct identification of plant species through detailed study Education and environmental awareness / interest in the sciences Categorisation of species to convey a message Wider purpose, appreciation and appeal: - Increased awareness and educational potential - in teaching the audience about a particular important subject, i.e. the rarest plants in the world and how they came to be rare - Format of poster and zine appeals to wider audience, either scientific or popular culture interested in nature, illustration detail, poster visual compendiums, collecting, education etc - Decorative potential (posters, textiles, stationary etc) • Deliverables: - Fantastic Flora: ‘Rare’ = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection of the artwork - Research (Primary & Secondary): Fantastic Flora: ‘Rare’ = Evidence on blog - Development: Fantastic Flora: ‘Rare’ = Sketchbook scamps, composition, format, layout & artwork
• Further Proposals & considered outcomes // For extended full ‘Fantastic Flora’ botanical collection - Fantastic Flora: ‘Deadly’ = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection Note: An illustrated compendium of the top 10 most ‘deadly’ plant species, their effects, location, history etc - Fantastic Flora: ‘Medicinal’ = Poster = Zine = Postcard collection Note: An illustrated compendium of most effective ‘medicinal’ plant species, their effects, location, history of use etc
Practical Proposal, Synthesis & Rationale Fantastic Flora Botanical Collection Practical Collection 3: Fantastic Flora: ‘Family Portraits’ • Aim // Rationale • Content • Applied Methods (theory into practice) • Inspiration / People of Note 1800’s: - Collecting, personal cabinet of curious and exotic plants (house plants) - botanical art, floral still life, flower portraits Modern Day: - Renaissance - new found interest and popularity of nature - Houseplants - the modern day garden - Varied artistic, technological and scientific approaches to the study, celebration and illustrative rendition of flora - Lissova_craft (insta) - houseplant papercut botanicals - themintgardener (insta) - illustration, watercolour - Anna Atkins - cynotype photography - All of above inspiration • Media • Process Synthesis Scientific approach: Artistic approach: Scientific purpose: Wider purpose, appreciation and appeal: • Deliverables: • Further Proposals & considered outcomes // For extended full ‘Fantastic Flora’ botanical collection