Plant a seed weekend

Local writer Roz Goddard worked with a community group from the Ladywood Centre, Birmingham to create new poetic plant labels in conjunction with the University of Birmingham’s Winterbourne Botanical Gardens.

During Plant a Seed Weekend, visitors were encouraged to create their own alternative labels, in response to a variety of plants on display. They could also take information and packets of seeds home with them from the Winterbourne Botanical Gardens’ ‘seed bank’. Visual poet David Petts engaged with visitors to produce new combinations of words and phrases, using his ‘seed fiddle’, a gadget re-designed to ‘sow’ printed words.

Students from Fairfax School in Sutton Coldfield took part in a one-day workshop funded by Museum and Galleries Month, with artist Sharon-Louise Aldridge. The students produced landscape-based installations, in response to the work of Ivan Morison. This work was on display in the Events Room during Plant a Seed Weekend, including text panels and information written by the students.

Ivan Morison was based outside Ikon with his flower stall, encouraging visitors to buy flowers and spend time in the gallery.