The Aliens series was first presented in Memories Live Here, Ruup & Form’s exhibition for Collect 2022 at Somerset House, London. Bringing together artists working across contemporary craft and material-led practice, the exhibition explored the ways objects can hold memory, carry personal histories, and connect us to people, places, and past experiences.
Created specifically for the exhibition in collaboration with National Museum Cardiff, Aliens drew upon Townsend’s long association with the museum and its collections. The sculptures were made using beeswax collected from hives on the museum rooftop and developed from digital herbarium records of non-native plant species growing in Wales. Through the combination of material, place, and archival research, the works traced histories of movement, collecting, and adaptation, while reflecting on the memories embedded within collections and the lives of those who have cared for them over time.
Presented at Collect, the leading international fair for contemporary craft and design, Memories Live Here marked the first public presentation of the Aliens series and an important development in Townsend’s ongoing exploration of botanical collections, museum histories, and the stories held within both objects and materials.
