The Plant Library, 2019. Co-commissioned by C3West on behalf of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Landcom. Curator Anne Loxley.
Artist Lauren Brincat collaborated with community gardeners, plant enthusiasts and horticultural experts around the new Tallawong Metro Station to create The Plant Library.
These sculptural greenhouses were home to dozens of species, from edible flora grown by locals to plants that form part of Darug cultural practices. The project honoured the Cumberland Plain and reflected on the area’s transformation from the food bowl of Sydney to a residential community, filled with a rich growing culture of its own. The Plant Library is an exchange of living art, encouraging participation and solidarity among the residents around Tallawong, and offering a moment of relief from the urban landscape.
Over 10 days, more than 1000 people visited The Plant Library, many of them sharing stories of plant growing and their lives in exchange for a seedling. On the final day, visitors were invited to take an established plant from the sculpture in exchange for a story, distributing the work throughout the community and ensuring its longevity far beyond the activation period.
images: Romello Pereira & Anna Kucera