Outgrowing the Botanical Cabinet (Phyllostachys Nigra)

Plants have always moved places, their seeds being distributed by animals, birds and human beings, or tendrils reaching out, roots stretching. The global movement of plants sped up drastically, however, during the colonial period when European plant hunters were sent all over the world to loot and bring back newly ‘discovered’ species for European gardens. This process increased the movement of plants exponentially and often resulted in unintended consequences in terms of biodiversity. Outgrowing the Botanical Cabinet (Phyllostachys Nigra) refers to the story of Black Bamboo, which was introduced into the UK from China by the Loddiges Nursery in Hackney in the early 1800s (and which was subsequently renamed after them, as was common). Phyllostachys Nigra grows well in the UK and is not considered an invasive species, although other forms of bamboo are. This installation, here at the Crypt Gallery for IBA exhibition In Search of Some Phantom, recalls the colonial history of the plant, but in this case the bamboo dwarfs the ship it came on and continues to thrive regardless: it has its own agency and its own time frame.