Weed Beautification at Plants Out of Place
Designer Sarah-Linda Forrer brings weeds and beauty together for an exhibition Plants Out of Place at London Design Festival on 19–22 Sept 2015.
Weeds and beauty are rarely considered to go hand in hand, but Dutch designer Sarah-Linda Forrer’s Weed Beautification is an exception. The designer brings the two together for an exhibition Plants Out of Place, which takes place during London Design Festival.
For the research project, Forrer has researched plants in our everyday environments for their health and beauty properties. She selected three local weeds – yarrow, comfrey and plantain – as the foundation for skincare and beauty products, such as salves, oils and scrubs. Forrer also designed a collection of vessels and tools out of stone and bronze for the beauty products.
“I was born in the middle of the forest, and my parents were very involved in the plants and weeds in the big garden of the house. I took this with and apply it in urban life,” the designer explains.
“The most basic plants you see everywhere in the city have the most health and beauty properties. It’s fascinating that nobody knows them or wants to see them. I want people to know and see things differently.”
“For the research, I read a lot of old books, learned some from my parents, did research on the internet and went for the most scientific information I could find to make what I do also true in scientific terms. Then I started to make things and develop recipes. When you put together all these you have a massive amount of information,” states the Amsterdam-based designer.
Weed Beautification is one of the projects at exhibition Plants Out of Place at London Design Festival from 19–22 September 2015. The exhibition, organized by UK-based Studio Aikieu and Sweden-based gardening house Coloni, seeks to find new ways to utilise wild plants. In addition to Forrer, the exhibition presents work from nine other creative practitioners: Gutedort, Alexandra Stück, Whispery Savoury, Claridge Architects, Mariah Wright, Studio Drift, The Drink Factory, Mowat + Winter, and Coloni & Studio Aikieu.
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