Landscapes of Medicine 

 

Ongoing research, 2020-present

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Landscapes of Medicine  is a study of the connection between medicine and the landscapes that provide medicinal herbs and plants. This research asks how the production of medicine has the power to shape landscapes and ecologies in order to produce quantities of medicinal substances required by hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, and other institutions. The study includes an examination of plants sourced for the development of pharmaceutical-grade drugs as well as natural herbs and remedies with a significant presence in the market today, such as mint products, tea tree, eucalyptus, and ashwagandha. The project aims to develop a narrative around the agricultural and foraging practices utilized in the extraction of medicine from landscapes. It hopes to uncover the ways humans have reshaped landscapes and reorganized ecologies in order to accommodate for the extraction of medicinal plants and substances, and also asks how these practices might continue in an uncertain climate future. How are medicinal landscapes cared for and managed today, and how will these critical medicinal landscape practices be able to persist?