Remedial Cartographies – Spring

Plant mandalas are circular, visual mappings made from locally available edible and healing plants, arranged to reflect their seasonal presence and uses. As a form of living cartography, they chart ecological rhythms—what grows when, where–and show relations of these plants and foods to the human body, culture, and climate. By collaborating on the mandalas, participants come to understand their relationship with a place and its seasons through the plants that nourish and heal them, cultivating awareness of seasonal abundance, loss, and continuity while deepening their sense of belonging within a specific landscape. Through these mapping exercises, we will explore whether reconnecting with the soil and plants can help us to feel more grounded, and ease our adaptation to different seasons, climates and landscapes.

This series will be of interest to anyone engaged in cultural or pedagogical work relating to nature, urban gardening projects or community health and support initiatives. We encourage continuous participation throughout the series.

At our spring meeting, we will focus on edible wild herbs.

The summer workshop will focus on mapping medicinal plants.

In autumn, we will map edible seeds and garden produce.

In the final winter workshops, we will combine the seasonal maps to create a mandala representing the whole year.

A full schedule of the sessions will be provided upon registration.

Hilal Alkan, anthropologist, researches migration and plants.

Şaduman Karaca, natural medicine specialist, phytotherapist and healthy living consultant.