Weeds – Undervalued Plants of Jaywick, 2017
Etchings, 20cm x 25cm

Often described as ‘a plant in the wrong place’, weeds are much undervalued, sometimes considered ugly, and generally unloved. Yet for all the negative press weeds receive, they can prove to be highly useful and have medicinal properties. Weeds are also recipients of common names that vary from community to community. Lotus corniculatus, for example, has also been given names such as Eggs and Bacon, Devil’s Fingers, Ground Honey Suckle, and Grandma’s Toes. These names reflect the different ways we look at weeds. 

For my exhibition at Jaywick Martello Tower, I researched the weeds that live around the tower. Selecting ten weeds in particular, I canvassed the public in order to discover the common names they knew the weeds by. I have reproduced the weeds as prints with the size of each edition being determined by the number of names collected. In this way I invite you to reconsider our community’s relation with these undervalued plants and see them under a whole new light. 

http://www.hannahstageman.com/weeds.html