Pocket Conservatory

A reflection on botanic gardens and conservatories as curated versions of nature, through representing them as dollhouses that can be opened, closed and rearranged. Based on the Sembcorp Cool House, National Orchid Garden, Singapore.

The ‘Pocket Conservatory’ series depicts glass houses in botanical gardens as doll houses that can be opened and closed. Conservatories, that require complex systems to be sustained, often with plants taken out of their native habitats, are versions of nature that are heavily curated. These drawings illustrate that the way in which we experience nature in botanical gardens is always mediated by the people who have curated them.