Black morning glory: A time for decolonial listening

Black morning glory: A time for decolonial listening investigates the herbarius as both a lens through which we can analyse colonial representations of nature, and as a decolonial tool to explore new relationships with plant life. Considering the artistic research around some of the oldest kruidboeken in the Netherlands by artist M.A. van Tulder during her research residency at Huis van het boek — researcher E.A.E. Evans works through the history of science and botany, defined by patriarchal capitalism, to offer a contemporary way forward. The richly illustrated volume featuring plants, herbs, and their medicinal properties is a unique epistemological construction that has contributed to the exploitation of nature. Through Rolando Vázquez’s notion of decolonial listening, this publication asks readers: what could a decolonial herbarius, visually and discursively, be like today? Black morning glory is published as a result of the research residency at Huis van het boek and is supported by Stroom Den Haag.