Invasive / Native brings together artwork created through a collaborative creative workshop led by artist april forrest lin林森 at God’s House Tower.

Using Japanese knotweed as a starting point, the workshop explored ideas of ecology, adaptation, migration and belonging through collage, drawing, creative writing and conversation. Participants considered the plant’s biology, from its underground rhizomes and remarkable ability to spread, to its arrival in the UK and its transformation into one of Britain’s most debated plants.

The resulting collaborative artwork reflects on the boundaries we draw between native and invasive, belonging and difference, nature and culture. Using collage, drawing, creative writing and conversation, the group of artists explore how ideas of native and invasive are shaped, and what they can teach us about the world we live in today.

Invasive / Native was created as part of a creative workshop with participants from global majority communities, and is presented at God’s House Tower during the British Science Festival.