Honouring invasive plants by turning them into art

Written By Peter Allan

Joshua Ralph, 25, hosts workshops teaching participants to make art supplies from plants removed in the work of restoring and rewilding. Photo by Damian Assadi

 

By Patricia Lane & Joshua Ralph

These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.

Joshua Ralph honours the lives of invasive plants. This 25-year-old, Vancouver-based artist hosts workshops teaching participants to make art supplies from plants removed in the work of restoring and rewilding.

Tell us about your project.

I spend a lot of my free time helping regenerate native ecosystems. This is important work as invasive plants pose numerous threats to native plant and animal populations. They often establish quickly in a damaged environment and reduce overall biodiversity by forming monocultures. While I understood all this when I participated in restoration, I was saddened by the piles of invasive plants tossed aside. It is not their fault they sprouted where they did. These plants were brought here by colonization and are doing what they do best: Growing.

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Peter Allan
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