Aliens
For Collect Art Fair 2022, Townsend collaborated with Sally Whyman, curator of vascular plants at the Welsh National Herbarium, National Museum Cardiff. In the Aliens series, they brought to life the historic scientific work and personal stories of botanists whose pressed collections of non-native plants, introduced by humans, are held in the Welsh National Herbarium.
Although the museum’s public galleries had reopened, the research collections remained closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The collaboration took place remotely via email, with the specimens digitally scanned, giving Townsend access to the collections from a distance.
Using beeswax harvested from hives on the museum’s roof, Townsend created three-dimensional representations of the pressed specimens, employing historical wax botanical sculpting techniques. Each sculpture was mounted on custom stainless steel plates with epoxy-printed collector data labels, echoing the original herbarium sheets while juxtaposing historic and contemporary materials.
The Aliens series explores how historic collections can be brought to life for modern audiences through digital access, research, material experimentation, and the collaboration of science and art.
Aliens 1956
Based on a digitally scanned image of a passion flower (Passiflora caerulea), a specimen from the Welsh National Herbarium, collected in the glasshouse at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales by Departmental Attendant J.W. Davies in 1956.
P. caerulea is a perennial climber native to South America, deliberately introduced to other parts of the world as an ornamental garden plant, valued for its uniquely structured flowers. This climber, with tendrils, is often found planted by walls and fences, where it persists even when neglected.
Materials: Beeswax collected from the beehives on the roof of National Museum Cardiff, artists’ beeswax, paraffin wax, tinned copper wire, tissue paper, cotton thread, artists’ pigments, acrylic paint, acrylic varnish. Mounted on a stainless steel plate with stainless steel strips.
Dimensions – 26 x 41.5cm
Date – 2021
Aliens 1992
Based on a digitally scanned image of a common rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) specimen from the Welsh National Herbarium, collected in Margam Country Park by Botanical Photographer Peter Russell and Senior Curatorial Assistant Anthony D. Tipper in 1992.
R. ponticum is native to the western and eastern Mediterranean, including Spain, Portugal, and Turkey, and extends eastwards into Asia, including China. Introduced to Britain as an ornamental shrub in 1763, it became popular on country estates during the Victorian era. R. ponticum produces suckers from its roots and an abundance of seeds, enabling it to outcompete native plants. It is now listed as an invasive species under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Materials: Beeswax collected from the beehives on the roof of National Museum Cardiff, artists’ beeswax, paraffin wax, tinned copper wire, tissue paper, cotton thread, artists’ pigments, acrylic paint, acrylic varnish. Mounted on a stainless steel plate with stainless steel strips
Dimensions – 26 x 41.5cm
Date – 2021
Aliens 1957
Based on a digitally scanned image of an Argentine vervain (Verbena bonariensis) specimen from the Welsh National Herbarium, collected in Ely, Cardiff by plant enthusiast Royston Leslie Smith in 1957. Smith was interested in recording plants that had arrived in Wales via ships, and many specimens in his collection were found near Cardiff, Newport, and Barry docks, growing as a result of dumped ballast or as contaminants of raw wool imports.
Native to South America, V. bonariensis is a popular garden plant, growing up to 1.5 metres tall with purple flowers that attract butterflies.
Materials: Beeswax collected from the beehives on the roof of National Museum Cardiff, artists’ beeswax, paraffin wax, tinned copper wire, tissue paper, cotton thread, artists’ pigments, acrylic paint, acrylic varnish. Mounted on a stainless steel plate with stainless steel strips.
Dimensions – 26 x 41.5cm
Date – 2021