5 November
Botanic garden experts gather in Dundee
The University of Dundee's Botanic Garden will play host to experts from across the UK and Europe this week as they arrive
in the city for the annual conference of the Botanic Garden Education Network (bgen).
Events will take place from Wednesday November 6th to Friday November 8th. The theme of this year's event is 'The drama
of plants; creative ways to excite people about plants'.
The event is one of the most important in the calendar for the botanic garden sector. Alasdair Hood, Curator of Dundee's
Botanic Garden, is delighted to be welcoming his peers to the city.
'This is one of the major events of the year and the delegates will be seeing Dundee in all its autumn splendor,' said
Alasdair. 'Botanic gardens are a wonderful resource for education for people of all ages, and this week we will be
looking at new and different ways of engaging with the public.'
Around 50 delegates will be attending the conference.
Workshops at the conference include:
The Lost Art of Nature Printing - Pia Ostlund, Designer & Printmaker
Nature printing is a wonderful way of depicting and discovering plants. Developed by physicians in the early 15th century,
this printing method served as a tool in their study of medicinal and useful plants.
Green Fairy - can fairies be used to inspire Early Years learning? - Susan Allan, Susie Kelpie and Kate Walters,
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Edinburgh
Come and meet the Green Faries from Royal Botanic Garden Wakehurst Place and Edinburgh Botanic Garden, step back to
your childhood and become their helpers.
Shoe Box Theatre: drama - Ginger Franklin, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Uses theatre on a small-scale, with boxes, puppetry skills and drama in discussion, to engage, inform and provoke
thought about issues in the plant world.
Outdoor Audio & Video Interpretation - A Beginners Guide - Jonathan Knight, Black Box - AV
An introduction to outdoor audio interpretation with sample units provided for delegates to use and study.
Colombian Chill Cafe - Suzanne Harris, Maria Camila Gomez-Gutierrez, Simon Duffy, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Discover a taste of South America in our Colombian cafe. We bring you Festival Colombiano, a flagship public engagement
program of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Botanical Beauty - Catherine Conway Payne, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Botanical Beauty workshop will introduce participating delegates to a selection
of the more intriguing herbal ingredients and recipes that have been used historically in cosmetic formulations.
Performing Science - Sarah Lloyd, Oxford Botanic Garden
In this workshop Sarah Lloyd describes a project that brings plant science and performing arts together in a way
that makes sense to students and teachers.
The Meaning Machine - Martin Daws, Young People Laureate for Wales,
Martin Daws will deliver a workshop sharing fun and accessible, creative writing exercises for developing poetry
themed on environmental issues. The workshop will deliver "Martin's Meaning Machine" - an original interactive writing
formula for creating poetry.
Alnwick and its Poison Garden - Trevor Jones, Alnwick Garden
An illustrated talk on the Alnwick Garden and its educational projects including the Poison Garden and how it is
used to educate visitors and young people about the harmful effects of plants.
Bite Size Project Briefings
These are three short project briefings for all delegates to enjoy together.
- Thresholds Poetry Project at Cambridge University Botanic Garden - Flis Plent
- Weird and Wonderful Summer Trails - Sally Lee
- Play in a Day - Gail Bromley
The BarrowBand
Providing a workshop and pre-dinner entertainment with performance and songs about fruit, vegetables, animals and minerals
based around a market barrow.
Other entertainment includes a Civic Reception at the City Chambers with Lord Provost on Wednesday November
6th and the conference dinner at the Invercarse Hotel on Thursday November 7th.
The event has been sponsored by Dundee & Angus Convention Bureau and Eco Drama, Puppets, Play & Storytelling,
and Kate Measures Consulting.
For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07800 581902 |
