Photo by Madhumita Nandi
Curated as part of Oyoun's larger program Listening to the Land, the workshop series intends to decolonize and reclaim urban landscapes and ecological narratives from the lens of BIPOC and people with migration backgrounds, and re-establish connection with the plant world and its edibles. By using foraging and guerilla gardening in “community gardens” as one of the artistic and curatorial methodologies, the series brings individuals of different backgrounds around local plants to explore the food-land-culture relationship while tackling mainstream Western environmentalism that dismisses indigenous and migrant knowledge. In line with this, the project sought to relearn and share our knowledge about the plant world and form new connections where we feel safer in nature.
The workshops were guided by myself stemming from a need to revisit my relationship with gardening and foraging after relocating to Berlin, alongside horticulturist, forager, herbalist, and kochende Gärtnerin Lea Nassim Tajbakhsh. On the first day of the workshop, we went on a guided foraging tour, allowing us to acquaint ourselves, share our knowledge, and form connections. The second day brought us to Oyoun’s community garden for an intimate discussion on food, belonging in nature, and a reconsideration of community gardens through guerilla gardening principles.
All photos were taken by Madhumita Nandi during the first workshop.
This project was produced by Oyoun Kultur NeuDenken in 2023, and published here.
Read more about Listening to the Land.
