Herbarium
The idea of a tactile herbarium came pretty early on in the dreaming stages of this exhibit. I wanted to find a way to allow people to get curious and to notice some of the elements that make different trees unique, while working counter to some of those patterns that feel more prescriptive and colonial.
On July 29 2026, community members joined Sardonyx and Bonita Eloise Ford on a Grounded: Nature Walk Series event put on by the Create Change Collective, in Strathcona Park. Using grounding strategies related to the senses and to common local plants, participants created leaf rubbings to remember the plants and wrote messages to reconnect with the experience of being grounded, supported, and relaxed in the natural world. They were invited to donate their leaf rubbings to be displayed in the exhibit (found on the wall).
Saivani and I met near their house with a block of air-dry clay, some giant knitting needles, and experimental spirits. We wanted to make a tactile herbarium: something that visitors could touch and explore to learn more about the lobes, edges, and textures of various tree species. What began as leaf-replica-making soon became forest-moment-imprinting, as we sought out unique combinations of textures and individuals, creating what I've come to call 'community collage imprints'. We chatted about how these imprints carry meaning and memory for us, and wondered what significance the public might see.
Click through to read a transcription of a conversation between myself and Saivani after our clay adventures, as well as an asynchronous virtual conversation held between myself, Sardonyx, Bonita Ford, and botany researchers Paul Sokoloff and Nathan Stevens-Cocco on the topic of herbariums from September 3-September 23, 2026.
On July 29 2026, community members joined Sardonyx and Bonita Eloise Ford on a Grounded: Nature Walk Series event put on by the Create Change Collective, in Strathcona Park. Using grounding strategies related to the senses and to common local plants, participants created leaf rubbings to remember the plants and wrote messages to reconnect with the experience of being grounded, supported, and relaxed in the natural world. They were invited to donate their leaf rubbings to be displayed in the exhibit (found on the wall).
Saivani and I met near their house with a block of air-dry clay, some giant knitting needles, and experimental spirits. We wanted to make a tactile herbarium: something that visitors could touch and explore to learn more about the lobes, edges, and textures of various tree species. What began as leaf-replica-making soon became forest-moment-imprinting, as we sought out unique combinations of textures and individuals, creating what I've come to call 'community collage imprints'. We chatted about how these imprints carry meaning and memory for us, and wondered what significance the public might see.
Click through to read a transcription of a conversation between myself and Saivani after our clay adventures, as well as an asynchronous virtual conversation held between myself, Sardonyx, Bonita Ford, and botany researchers Paul Sokoloff and Nathan Stevens-Cocco on the topic of herbariums from September 3-September 23, 2026.
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Artists/Thinkers
Bonita Eloise Ford, Nathan Stevens-Cocco, Paul Sokoloff, Saivani Sanassy, Sardonyx
Special thanks to...
Create Change Collective, Grounded: Nature Walk participants, Sara Beth