sarah bennett

shown at:
Decennium (2024)
March 23rd to July 7th 2024
Hestercombe Gallery
Taunton, TA2 8LG

Arising from a previous preoccupation with plant-derived remedies and drugs, prevalent during the Victorian era, the artwork refers to the incremental loss of common knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants, and the relegation of such expertise to unorthodox therapies such as herbalism and homeopathy.

In 1877, the British Flora Medica was the 'go to' illustrated encyclopaedia, for those with a vested interest in cures, addictions, and the toxicity of (mainly) indigenous plants. However, even in 1877 when the second edition of the British Flora Medica was published, a level of scepticism had already entered the medical profession, and many entries describe plants becoming obsolete, or antiquated,
in their pharmaceutical use.

In Lost Learning I, the snake weights - lead filled cotton tubes used in contemporary archives to keep books open - encircle an illustration of Herb Paris, an acid narcotic used in ancient times as a poultice to treat tumours.

Lost Learning II (2024)
The British Flora Medica (1877) with archival snake weights

In recent decades,
an increased
acknowledgement
of plants as therapeutic
agents - and as the source of much needed novel drug discoveries by the pharmaceutical and biotech industries (Mathur and
Hoskins 2017) - has led
to a resurgence of popular interest in the benefits of our flora; also kick-starting the urgent preservation of the ecosystems that
support diverse species. Research has revealed that many non-human species
self-medicate using plants with anti-bacterial and
pain-relieving properties (Shurkin, 2014).

Lost Learning II features the snake weights winding
around an image of
Henbane (Hyoscyamus
Niger, L.), which was used as a sedative by the Victorians.
It also has links to the dark arts.

Mathur, S., and Hoskins, C., (2017)
Drug Development:
Lessons from nature
[accessed 24th July 2024]

Shurkin, J., (2002)
Animals that self-medicate
[accessed 25th July 2024]

Lost instrument (2024)
Found tool and prickles

Despite giving a nod to Man Ray’s The Gift (1921), this artwork, Lost Instrument
was created for the 10th anniversary exhibition at Hestercombe’s Gallery and picks up the theme of undervalued domestic servitude from the installation: Service is no inheritance, exhibited there in 2018.

The prickles (commonly called ‘thorns’), were collected from the gardens at Hestercombe by the team of gardeners
tasked with maintaining the Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens designed garden. While today’s gardeners
bring expertise to Hestercombe and figure in
its unique heritage objectives, the Victorian work force held no status or agency.