The German physician, traveller and botanist Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) introduced Japanese knotweed to Europe. He collected and cultivated Asian plant species and encouraged their transplantation in colder northern climates. Today, knotweed is seen as a hostile invader that threatens house foundations, challenges native species and resists legal measures to contain its spread. This thesis considers knotweed as an instigator of changing attitudes in the Anthropocene. It follows the plant's journey from East to West, from colonised to coloniser, and demonstrates how non-human species can resist commodification and exploitation.
The research explores the changing responses to Japanese knotweed since its introduction to Europe in the 19th century. It asks whether collaboration between the plant and human beings, by printing together, can change our perceptions of knotweed as a hostile invader. This research aims to raise awareness of the position of knotweed, create art alongside the plant that serves as political or social capital, and form partnerships with others to create a thriving and sustainable future beyond the Anthropocene. Therefore, the research centres on the non-human agency of Japanese knotweed, using participatory design and design activism methodologies to help identify and locate such agency within collaborative practice. This involves art and design activities such as zine-making, printing
workshops, online group activities, field studies (growing, foraging and gathering Japanese Knotweed), and papermaking with Japanese Knotweed. The goal is to demonstrate how art and design are powerful tools for political and social change and are particularly effective in ecological and environmental contexts. Furthermore, this thesis contributes to continuing debates on Japanese Knotweed as a dissonant force that stimulates critical analysis
of social, socioeconomic and political issues.
The thesis combines the theories of Participatory Design (PD) and Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with democratic design experiments, nature, and the integration of PD with design activism. By fully including knotweed as an actor and stakeholder in the design process, it becomes clear how its contribution to knowledge and response to the research questions emphasize the role of design as a form of protest against social injustice.
Japanese Knotweed became a perplexing phenomenon at the junction of environmental and political realms, transforming my artistic practice. After a previous career in fashion, influenced by the contemporary fashion industry's commodification and commercialization of textile products, I began a path that led me to academia, art, and activist design. The concept of the agency of materials in craft prompted me to draw connections between the environmental politics of landscape and the non-human agency exhibited by plants and plant materials. Reflecting the view that all design is embedded within societal roles and the responsibilities of individuals, I have transitioned into the role of an activist designer, collaborating with a nonhuman entity.