Review: 27/10/21: The botanical label (which I used in my exhibition Botanica during my residency in the project space) is a big success. Although not everyone understood or made the connection between the semantics of the botanical label and my drawing of the endangered plant, the information it provided (especially the addition of the QR Code – although not everyone’s code read the same – I need to investigate this!) was a big attention draw, and it helped people understand the connection between the drawing and the information on the label – even if everyone didn’t understand the connection between the label’s use in a botanical garden for live plants, and my drawing of an endangered one. It was a success overall – I now need to experiment with different papers, inks, etc. for printing, as I want the process to be as environmentally impact-less as possible.
Following on from my post last week…
I have finished my first ‘proper’ drawing – although it isn’t one of the plants off my final list, the drawing is the first that I have completed based on a herbarium specimen (more on this later).
The plant that I chose to draw was Cleyera Orbicularis (a plant that I found on the Kew Plants of the World Website), and I have viewed it as a full practice for my work – including creating a botanical label for it.
I have decided (after a tutorial last week) to create my labels using biodegradable materials, such as paper and cardboard (the cardboard I have used here is actually recycled packaging), which have a much lesser environmental impact than the plastic that is the standard material for botanical labels (as they have to withstand the elements). I would like to research recycled paper, etc. for creating the labels with.
Overall, I am very pleased with the final outcome of the labels – they need some perfecting, but they look fairly professional (something which will increase with better printing and materials) and the information conveyed and the final design I am 100% happy with, as it keeps the style of the botanical label, whilst also telling the audience about the plant in detail and is much more interactive (and hopefully accessible) than a standard botanical label.
Source: Reference image was taken from the Kew Herbarium, via the Kew Plants of the World Online Website. Kew Gardens. (N.D) Cleyera orbicularis Herbarium Specimen. Available at: http://plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60751-2 (Accessed: 12/10/2021)
