Join Caitlin Franzmann for an afternoon of events delving into the stories of the plant life. Taking place within her exhibition To the Curve of You, it begins with a garden tour and immersive listening session, followed by a papermaking workshop using weeds.
Tour: IMA Courtyard Garden (1–2pm)
Caitlin Franzmann has been working with gardener Kate Wall to integrate new plantings into the IMA’s courtyard sculpture Corps à Corps. Caitlin and Kate have included plants commonly found on urban roadsides, disturbed sites, public parks, and residential yards, challenging us to revalue these ‘weeds’ by introducing us to their potential uses—their medicinal and edible properties, and as an indicator of the health of our gardens, soil, and ecosystems. The tour will conclude with an encounter with Achira (Canna Indica) and an immersive listening session in Franzmann’s exhibition.
Cultivating Curiosity: Papermaking with Weeds Workshop (3–4pm)
In this hands-on workshop, learn to make paper from weeds with Caitlin Franzmann and Kate Wall. By soaking and pulping plant material, transform ‘unwanted’ flora into a new form. Explore what it means to dissolve binary thinking of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ plants and discover the potentiality inherent in looking at weeds in new ways. Papermaking requires multiple steps over a few days. Wall will demonstrate each step using snake plant and canna. Learn how to select plants suitable for papermaking. Be assisted at each step and make a few sheets of plant paper to take home. Bring two teatowels for pressing paper and an empty jar to fill with liquid fertiliser (a by-product of the process). Cost: $20.
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Caitlin Franzmann has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria, New Museum in New York, and Kyoto Art Centre. She was a member of the feminist art collective Level from 2013 to 2018, curating exhibitions and forums with a focus on generating dialogue around gender, feminism and contemporary art. She is a member of Ensayos, an international collective research practice centered on extinction, human geography, and coastal health.
Kate Wall is a gardening professional and author of ‘Working with Weeds: A practical guide to understanding, managing and using weeds’. With a background in environmental science and a commitment to a culture of caring, Kate specializes in teaching people to garden in harmony with nature. She focuses on a sustainable approach to gardening, encouraging gardeners to understand and work with a subtropical climate and successfully grow food, medicine and an incredible abundance of flowers and joy.
Photo: Charlie Hillhouse
