Stills is delighted to present With Love. From an Invader. – Rhododendrons, Empire, China and me. a book launch and in-conversation event with photographer Yan Wang Preston, botanist Alan Elliott and curator Emma Nicolson.
This new publication traces the story of Rhododendron ponticum—one of Britain’s most contested plants—through photography, archival material and botanical insight. Beginning with photographing a single love-heart-shaped ponticum bush every other day for a year, Wang Preston’s work journeys through landscapes, histories and emotions, revealing a plant entangled in questions of empire, ecology and belonging.
The evening will include a projection of visuals and a display of archival materials from the book as well as a book signing. The book is jointly published by The Eriskay Connection and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It is funded by the University of Huddersfield’s Arts and Humanities Research Council Impact Acceleration Account.
