About this Event
Using plants energetically has ancient roots, there are the bold herbal infusions, the subtlety of flower remedies and homeopathy, there are also Romany traditions and Botanica Fabula’s unique herbal storytelling which invites the body to consider and listen to the plants and their properties and start the process of healing through engaging with the plant, connecting to ancient traditions of working with spoken word charms. Photographing a plant or a place in the landscape and then holding that picture until it fades, or is lost, mirrors these traditions but in a modern sustainable form and we invite you to explore your own connection with ancient roots and rituals in this way.
We will be walking, listening, exploring and creating during this workshop which invites participants to curate their own herbal storytelling energetic medicine bag using photographs, visual, modern medicine bags, using forms that allow us to gather whilst allowing the environment to breathe..
We will walk by Airthrey Castle to Logie Auld Kirk, site of ancient rituals via to the University, site of modern rituals, looking at plants, hearing about their stories, lore and healing qualities and capturing an element of their essence .
Photograph ©Neill Hanna
About Amanda
‘A dyed in the wool storyteller', herbalist Amanda Edmiston, comes from a long line of storytellers, plant people, writers and artists.
Amanda says: ‘I've always been fascinated by stories; I love how they reveal what we now see as ‘proven science’, they communicate how we connect to each other and our environment and provide a safe place to explore elements of our lives'.
Over the past fifteen years her storytelling has taken her on an incredible journey, she has woven words for Chelsea Physic Garden in London, taken Scottish folklore and regional plant use and legends to the National Museum of Rural Life and the Ashmolean museum in Oxford, created new fairy tales to share the experiences of staff and patients at former mental hospital: The Crichton and shared historical secrets concealed within stories at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Glasgow. She has also collected stories and memories of plant use from across rural Scotland with her Kist in Thyme projects.
Her recent project The Very Curious Herbal was inspired by the work done at the very end of the Scottish witch trials by the first woman to publish a herbal: Elizabeth Blackwell and elements from this project can be found in her first book:
"The Time Traveller's Herbal", published by David and Charles.
For more about Amanda and her work see her
Website: www.botanicafabula.co.uk
Substack: Botanica Fabula
Insta and threads: amanda.edmiston
Tweet: @HerbalStorytell
Facebook:Amanda Edmiston, Botanica Fabula: herbal storyteller
The Stirling Photography Festival is delighted to be generously hosted by the Macrobert Arts Centre
Our Hosts
We are delighted to be hosted by the team at the Macrobert Arts Centre on the beautiful campus of the University of Stirling
Notes on Access
David's talk will take place in the Macrobert Arts Centre which is accessible and has accessible parking close to the building. We will take a short walk into the university grounds to access the lochan, on moderately steep ground.
There is a regular bus service to the University from Stirling bus station and there is ample parking on campus, which is free on a Saturday. ( Please check parking charges on arrival, in case there are changes in charging policy the interim)
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Macrobert Arts Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
