Consisiting of 32 framed companion ecological prints, Reflections on A Radical Plot responds to the quiet evolution of Crocosmia × – a collaborative art project with individuals seeking asylum in Ireland that brings art, poetry and horticulture together in workshops leading up to two site-specific public artworks in IMMA and Grangegorman. Crocosmia × aims to cultivate Crocosmia × croscosmiiflora, (also known as Montbretia, Back to School Flower and Fealeastram Dearg) common to Irish roadsides and native to South Africa as a new metaphor for diversity in Ireland that questions received notions of what is ‘native’ and what is ‘foreign’.

Reflections on A Radical Plot witnesses the natural process of self-seeding which has transformed this modest plot into a valuable ecosystem of significant and distinct species. It incorporates collective active research by artist Clodagh Emoe with Sandra Murphy, ecologist, Green Cube IMMA and Charlotte Salter-Townsend, public historian/plant researcher at National Botanical Gardens of Ireland. The project incorporates fieldwork on site, plant identification and the archiving of the plants using an ecological process that transfers or ‘saddens’ – the plant dyes directly onto paper. The work is accompanied by an essay by Charlotte Saltern – Townshend and a 7 minute film that offers insight into the archive, detailing the legacy of Crocosmia ×, the unanticipated natural progression of this plot, the importance and significance of biodiversity and the process used to in creating this archive.

Reflections on A Radical Plot celebrates the power and potential of the plant as a valuable resource and a gentle reminder that diversity is the natural state of being.