19 April 2007

Birth of Carl Linnaeus celebrated

The 300th anniversary of the birth of Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist, will be celebrated by a series of international events in April and May, including two in Dundee.

Linnaeus, who was born on 23rd May, 1707, is known as the father of modern taxonomy which is the formal method of naming species. His work continues to influence biologists and botanists today.

Creating Order is a showcase of the Linnean conservation project which was undertaken by the Book & Paper Conservation Studio in the University of Dundee. They were commissioned by The Linnean Society in London to conserve the recently completed collection of correspondence written to Linnaeus. Among the letters and documents are detailed drawings and prints as well as pressed biological specimens and herbaria. The three-year conservation project involved the cleaning, repair and re-housing of around 4000 letters from over 600 correspondents, many of them major figures in 18th century science. As part of the international tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Carl Linnaeus, the letters have been digitised and are now accessible on the internet.

Erica Kotze, paper conservator, says "Prior to conservation, the 18 century letters, some of which included attached herbaria samples, were stored in such a way that they could not be easily accessed without causing damage."

"Conservation work was necessary in order to stabilise the letters and enable them to be digitised, opening up the collection to a world wide audience. The storage system that they are now kept in allows better access for researchers and will ensure the long term preservation of both the letters and fragile herbaria."

Also included in the Creating Order exhibition are a series of works on paper by printmaker Lisa Gribbon. During a series of visits to the Book & Paper Conservation Studio, Lisa, a Fife-based printmaker and horticulturist, has made sketches from original Linneaus documents. The structure of the letters, their composition, the evidence of chemical and physical degradation and the beautifully preserved plant specimens, along with the methods and materials used in conservation, have all served as inspiration for a series of prints by Lisa.

Neil Patterson and Erica Kotze will present a joint talk about Carl Linnaeus. Neil, the Education Officer at the University Botanic Gardens will set Linnaeus’ life and work in context and Erica Kotze, a conservator from the Book & Paper Conservation Studio, will talk about the Studio's part in the recent work on the Linnean correspondence.

Creating order exhibition 21 April to 12 May
The University of Dundee Botanic Gardens, Visitor Centre
Entry to exhibition is free
Time - 10.00am to 4.30pm

The exhibition will then move to Kellie Castle, North East Fife (National Trust for Scotland) 2nd July - 29th July.

Linnaeus tercentenary talk 25 April 2:30pm
Sex, Obsession & Madness by
Neil Patterson and Erica Kotze
The University of Dundee Botanic Gardens, Education Centre
Admission free (donations welcome)

Erica Kotze will be repeating her lecture at Kellie Castle on July 4th at 7pm.

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/library/conservation/

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/botanic/

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk