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| The defining of weeds has been a cultural story. The objective appropriate placement of weeds
is a fluctuating history of cultural development deeply tied to the process of colonization and subsequently, globalization. "Weeds are not only plants in the wrong place, but plants which have slipped into the wrong culture." - Richard Mabey Most international weeds have their origin in Europe, and now with the advent of global trade the proliferation of international weeds is inevitable. Although most weeds are dubbed negative, many weeds are medicinal, virtuous host plants, and nectar sources. Weeds flourish alongside humans. They work as a perceptual immune system to the planet. The opportunistic nature of weeds graces them with the rare ability to readily grow in bomb sites, deforested areas, between cracks in the sidewalk, along railroad tracks, on brownfield sites etc. In this way they "stabilize the soil, conserve water loss, provide shelter for other plants and begin the process of succession to more complex and stable plant systems." |
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| Wanted Weeds is less a promotion of weeds and
more a forum for thought provocation and discussion on the variety
of conceptual and physical topics associated with the controversial classification of plants as weeds. The paradox of
these virtuous villains stands as a metaphor for the current puzzles of multiculturalism. Creating new avenues for
discourse around weeds allows for a complex state of affairs to be given a multi perspective lens and potentially
lead to the appropriation of advantageous veins in the global landscape. |
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| The experimental garden space of Wanted Weeds consists of mobile weed boxes circulating the exhibit, a reading area filled with books on a variety of topics dealing with weeds, a writing area to express one's thoughts on weeds, and a dialogue area to converse with our weed experts and each other. |