TAKE PART IN AN URBAN HARVEST!

Take part in Japanese knotweed picking and a workshop devoted to the possibilities and opportunities this invasive non-native plant offers, organised by Re-generacija Association and Museum of Architecture and Design, Ljubljana (MAO).

Photo: Nataša Košmerl

First Event: Urban Harvest

Date: Friday, October 9th, 2015 from 11 A.M. to 3 P.M.
Registration and more info: infobio@mao.si, + 386 (0)1 548 42 74
Meeting point: behind the Old Sugar Factory in Ljubljana, Poljanski nasip
Contact: +38641355156 (Gaja)
Oragnised by: Re-generacija Association and MAO

Participation in the workshop is free of charge! Bring your gardening equipment (trimming scissors, hoe, knife, garden spade and work gloves) and put on comfortable shoes. We will provide a hot meal!

THE WORKSHOP
The Japanese knotweed’s vigorous root system and its lush greenery represent a nuisance to many urban gardeners, civil engineers and landowners. Indeed, it causes damage on the infrastructure, ousts the indigenous plants and thus affects biodiversity. Because of its rapid spreading, this “green cosmopolite” that is being used in Japan as an edible plant and a natural remedy, will soon become a significant part of contemporary landscapes in Europe and elsewhere.

As we engage in the process of digging out, cutting and removing this — in our eyes undesirable — “crop”, we will learn to pay attention to the changing nature in an urban environment. We will discuss the complex dynamics at play in wild sites and learn to recognise the potential for synergies, between this invasive species and our local ecosystems. We will show you how to pick Japanese knotweed without causing further environmental damage and present some of the Japanese knotweed’s possible uses.

With this urban harvest we wish to encourage participatory practices and economic activities in which this invasive plant species plays a central role. At the end of the project, the products from the raw material that will be collected during this workshop will be exhibited at the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO).

Second Event: SPREAD THE WORD! WORKSHOP ON THE USES OF THE JAPANESE KNOTWEED: THE JAPANESE KNOTWEED AS A MEDIUM FOR COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL COMMENTARY.

In October an international open call for collaboration on a workshop dedicated to the possible uses of cellulose-based materials made from Japanese Knotweed in traditional industries will be announced. More coming soon!