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Mulberry - Tree of Plenty
Exploring the materiality of the iconic mulberry tree
Mulberry - Tree of Plenty is a collaborative project between artists Sara Heywood & Jane Watt, and UCL science researcher Dr David Chau. The project explores the materiality of the iconic mulberry tree (Morus nigra and Morus alba).
The team have worked with community participants and St Margaret’s House to learn and share knowledge about the mulberry trees of Bethnal Green, east London. Together they have explored local heritage walks, mulberry tasting, gel formation, fabrication and profiling, skeletonization and ghosting of leaves, 3D digital scanning, ink making, drawing, nurturing and growing saplings.
To find out more about the project visit:
Mulberry - Tree of Plenty: live installation (St Margaret's House)
Mulberry - Tree of Plenty: live installation (sign)
Mulberry - Tree of Plenty: live installation (windows)
Mulberry - Tree of Plenty: live installation (behind the scenes)
Berries
The juicy berries of the mulberry tree at St Margaret’s House were harvested in late July 2020 and used in several ways in the project: as produce made by St Margaret’s House café for a mulberry tasting event with the local community; to make botanical ink for drawings for participatory workshops; and as part of the study of the colour spectrum of the tree.
Leaves
You can find many different shaped leaves on the same tree including heart-shaped to fig-shaped from rough and scratchy to smooth and shiny. The team collected leaves from each of the five trees in Bethnal Green over the period of the project and examined how the leaves can be ‘skeletonized’ and used as a vehicle for various medical applications.
Bark
Through 3D digital scanning the team have explored the structure of the trunk of St Margaret’s House’s mulberry tree. The bark is also being explored as a possible biomaterial replacement for bone damage. A video of this digital scan along with selected moving and still images from the project research can be viewed as part the live projection event at Create Space.
Copyright 2021: Sara Heywood & Jane Watt, and Dr David Chau
The project is supported by St Margaret’s House and University of Suffolk
