A recurring theme of the last three days has been exploring the meaning of the ‘ecology of the arts’ with numerous horticultural references flowing from it. Thus, we have had talk of ‘gardening’, ‘flower beds’, and ‘planting seeds and crops’.

This is a fascinating set of metaphors which takes us somewhere deeply relevant to how we imagine the arts, culture and society. The word ‘culture’ and ‘cultivation’ – deriving from its original Latin roots – was used well into the 17th century to talk about ‘growing’, ‘gardening’ and how we shape and interact with ‘nature’. It had all sorts of association with an organic view of the world, and how we husband and are responsible for planting, growth, feeding and nurturing.

@ Provacateur’s Blog

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