This exhibition is a collection of images of botanical specimens I found on one of my many walks along Beach Road in Onerahi.

Essentially they are the documentation of the cruel and altering process of pressing and drying away their life essence and encasing them with crude bioplastic experiments.

The images are simulacra of the original botanicals rearticulated through trial, suffering and manipulation.

A dark and fascinating end for things gathered on a fleetingly sunny day in January 2023.

The works include documentation of experiments with Morning Glory, Spirulina, Hydrangea, Ivy, Cow Parsley and Bougainvillea.

The bio-based, biodegradable plastic recipes are combinations of agar, glycerol, gelatine, vinegar and tea tree oil.

For those interested in bioplastics a fantastic cookbook by Margaret Dunne is a valuable resource where I found most of my recipes for experimentation.

There are 15 images in the exhibition as well as many of the bioplastic artefacts themselves – displayed on lightboxes made by Lindsay Marks.

Acknowledgements to Prof Frances Joseph for introducing me to bioplastics as part of my BIOS research for curating that lab.

The works are all for sale, please contact me for further information if you are interested.