It shows you the folly of resentment, judgement and rage.
Gregg (2014)
Artemisia Absyinthium, is a repellent herb that hatefully banishes other plants or animals that come too close.
Cunningham (1998) ascribes it to the planet Mars and the diety Artemis (its namesake) and notes that it is burned in graveyards to summon spirits which rise to speak in its smoke.
According to Beyerl (1984) its is used to stop war or inhibit enemies and bannishes anger and negative energy.
A powerful medicinal plant, it has been used for many centuries for digestive conditions and to reduce inflammation and pain.
Sourcing and Planting
From Dr Maggie Buxton:
“I discovered a variety of Wormwood (Artemisia Powis Castle) on my daily walk and since then have foraged it for use in my practice. For bioSignals I harvested some seeds and am attempting to propagate it for our resilience garden.
I’m also drying some for creative purposes – potentially a bioplastic experiment—a capture of its protective essence.
As I enter my studio (where it’s drying) it’s scent welcomes me. Reminding me of its strength and power to protect.
Pathways and Mulches
AwhiWorld is an organisation that genuinely exemplifies trans-disciplinary practice. We always aim to transcend disciplines to create new and innovative projects. In this case, combining earth-based spiritual practice with shiny tech and creativity.
Basarab Nicolescu, one of the inspirations for our practice, notes that transdisciplinary always has a spiritual dimension as we transcend traditional boundaries and move into realms not previously explored. (See Rigolot, 2020 and Versluis and Nicolescu (2018)
In the following weeks, I will share the progress of the Wormwood seedlings and our efforts to connect to the plant in some way through special meditations, rituals and engaging with IoT technologies.
More BioSignals
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BioSignals: Signals into Space!
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BioSignals: Printing Mugwort
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Interview with Kieran Monaghan
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BioSignals: Plant Ethics and Msc Presentations
in July/August the New Zealand bioSignals research team has been sharing research and perspectives in short presentations to stimulate thinking and enrich cross-cultural exchange. Presentations in PDF and Video below. {{ vc_btn:…
BioSignals First NZ Milestone Achieved
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Ecosystem Signals Crossing the World
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BioSignals: Interview with Kelly Kahukiwa
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Resilience Garden Update: Image Gallery
A BioSignals documentation post is showing the latest growth in our resilience garden. We have beautiful flowers in our resilience garden and massive autumnal growth. The mugwort seedlings are thriving, and abundance…
Installation Prototyping
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The Magic of Mugwort
Mugwort - a powerful medicinal plant is now in our garden! Mugwort, scientifically known as Artemisia vulgaris, is a versatile and aromatic herb cherished for centuries for its medicinal, magical and culinary…
Capturing Hitchhikers: Image Gallery
A BioSignals documentation post for an expedition to AH Reed Public Park 24 Feb 24 Yesterday, we visited AH Reed Park as an expedition a new AwhiWorld project and to support…
Sansar VR Experiments 2
BioSignals research has led to live visualisation of data in VR. Daniël Vandersmissen, our colleague in Belgium, has been working with Sansar. As a result of his latest experiment, Kim's live…
Hardware Experiments – Outside Sensors
A second prototype IoT system is now set-up outside in our resilience garden. Kim set this system up for our BioSignals project using the same hardware and sensor configuration as our…
Hardware Experiments
Our colleague Frederico D.A. de Sena Pereira (from the SEADs network) is working with our NZ team to research various means for connecting to and receiving plant signals. Humans can…
Sansar VR Experiments
BioSignals research includes signal transfer in and out of virtual worlds. Daniël Vandersmissen, our colleague in Belgium, is experimenting with the Sansar Virtual World. Sansar is a virtual reality platform that…
Capturing Weeds: Image Gallery
Documentation post for weeds collected around our property for the BioSignals project. {{ vc_btn: title=Learn+More+About+BioSignals&shape=square&color=success&size=lg&align=center&link=url%3Ahttps%253A%252F%252Fawhiworld.com%252Fportfolio%252Fbiosignals%252F%7Ctarget%3A_blank }} More BioSignals The British Council funds BioSignals via the #ConnectionsThroughCulture programme.
Pathways to Resilience
BioSignals continues ... our resilience garden is coming along nicely. We've been out in the garden, preparing pathways, mulching and planting in and around our Resilience Garden (formerly The Chicken Garden). …
BioSignals: Interview with Cr Jack Craw
Cr Jack Craw is a seasoned biosecurity and biodiversity management expert with a career spanning over forty years. Currently serving as a Regional Councillor for the Northland Regional Council, Jack brings extensive…
BioPlastic Experiments
BioSignals and bioplastics - experiments with resilient and highly noxious weeds. Stopping the Moth Plant (Araujia hortorum) in its tracks is many a conservationist's dream. In NZ, the plant is disturbingly known…
Binding the Binders
Strangling, smothering and suffocating - disturbing traits that make certain plants extremely resilient. But how do we capture this resilience artistically and magically? In this post, Maggie shares her experiments for BioSignals…
Weeding for BioSignals
We are getting into the weeds for our research for BioSignals. Taking advantage of the long weekend for Waitangi Day, Kim and I have been working hard on our garden, plant…
Climate Change, Biodiversity and IoT
BioSignals explores climate change and biodiversity using IoT systems to generate and send signals from plants. Climate change is causing extreme weather events to increase, altering rainfall patterns, raising temperatures, and warming…
Proof of Concept – BioSignals
BioSignals has begun! Kim has set up a prototype IoT-based biosignal system using the Aloe Vera plant in our studio space. The system configuration is: ESP32 microcontroller Sensors: DHT11 (temperature and humidity), Light-dependent…
Invoking Resilience and Protection
Plants are essential for human existence, giving us air, food and shelter. For many cultures, they are also at the core of cultural and spiritual practice. Providing protection, supporting resilience and expanding…
Peering at Plants
Microscopy is a core part of AwhiWorld's practice whether it be a live performance or teaching people about the unseen world of plants in our innovation labs. A core part of Maggie's…
The British Council funds BioSignals via the #ConnectionsThroughCulture programme.