Talk Plant to Me: Garcinia

“Talk Plant to Me” is a studio series where we work with our hands, one plant at a time. Either grown in our studio garden or locally-abundant, we explore a plant through making colour pigments, adhesives, binders, fibres, and/or other unexpected material experiments.

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Who accompanies the Durian King each season? Our Queen of Fruits, the mangosteen.

From May to July in Singapore, these sweet, juicy tropical fruits begin appearing, usually arriving from Malaysia and Thailand according to the uncles we've asked. Some of you may notice how the peels leave a sticky purple stain on your fingers. For us, her rinds are one of our favourite sources of colour, giving rich purples, blues, and even bright pinks when worked with in the right way. The stickiness of the rinds also makes it an intriguing natural binder, particularly for woodblock printing, an activity we will be doing during the session.

While it may be the most recognisable Garcinia fruiting this season, it is certainly not the only one. There are a few other Garcinia fruits that can be found as ornamental roadside trees, and in our markets, that we will share about as well.

So come join us in exploring the surprising material properties of this familiar fruit and her close relatives. Through making botanical inks, prints, and a few cooling refreshments along the way, we hope you will leave with a stronger impression of this remarkable group of plants found in Singapore.