Mulberry - Tree of Plenty,  2020- 2022

UCL East, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.​     www.mulberrytreeofplenty.org

​

Mulberry - Tree of Plenty is a collaborative project by artists Sara Heywood & Jane Watt and Dr David Chau, Associate Professor in Biomaterials and Allied Subjects at the Eastman Dental Institute, UCL.

 

The project explored how the iconic mulberry trees (Morus nigra and Morus alba) of East London could be used as a vehicle to stimulate discussion, debate and engagement in cutting-edge research and applications in biotechnology, heritage and contemporary engaged art practice. It also included a series of public engagement workshops and discussions with local community groups, including walks, experiments in the lab, kitchen, and the studio.The project culminated in the permanent planting of a series of mulberry trees at UCL East, as part of its legacy commitment to biodiversity and ecology in the area.​ Commissioned as part of Trellis: a UCL Culture and UCL East programme and supported by St Margaret’s House, E2.

​