Jatropha curcas (or what my auntie calls the physic nut tree)
2022
Dinghy boat, handmade wood platform and vitrines, Jatropha curcas plants, iPads, video of piercing the trunk of Jatropha curcas and the tree’s blood red sap, video of Jatropha curcas leaves blowing in the wind, video of extracting oil (biofuel) from Jatropha curcas nuts; audio recording of Guyanese auntie sharing how Jatropha curcas rids the body of evil, speaker, botanical prints, botanical books, cooking pot, dried Jatropha leaves and nuts, and Jatropha decotion in glass bottles
Approx. 8'x 4' x 6.5’
Designed as both a sculpture and mobile exhibition, Jatropha curcas (or what my auntie calls the physic nut tree), tracks the plant’s evolution from Obeah spiritual and medicinal remedy, to colonial import, to Christian symbol, to “miracle” biofuel. The dinghy boat serves as the base for the piece, referencing the ships that carried these plants across the world. By utilizing natural history and botanical modes of display, the project references European colonization and collecting, while emphasizing what can’t be contained: the sound of my auntie’s voice (discussing her beliefs around Jatropha) and the plants themselves.
Jatropha curcas (or what my auntie calls the physic nut tree) has traveled to the Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys (Oct. 5th, 2022) and to Latinx with Plants in Boyle Heights (Oct. 22nd, 2022).
