The Eden Project's newest exhibition is "Super Natural," an exhibition in which international artists, including even Ai Weiwei, explore the relationship between humans and plants and also how humans perceive their place in nature. Hannah Hooks, as curator in charge of art projects, gave an interview to Alethea Magazine about the role of Eden Project and also its expansion plans.

Eden Project is a botanical garden of more than 50 hectares near Bodelva in Cornwall, England, among the most important attractions in England. In gigantic biomes, currently the largest greenhouses in the world, consisting of hexagonal and pentagonal cells, all the different climatic zones are reconstructed. The project was born from an idea of the English archaeologist and entrepreneur Tim Smit. The focus is on a preservationist educational approach that aims to prevent humanity from destroying the environment through education. In 2014, Smit also founded Eden Project International and since then the project has been expanding worldwide. New Edens are being created in Qingdao in China and Morecambe Bay, Dundee. Currently, Eden is also working with the Matambu Forest Reserve and the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy to restore a rare tropical dry forest

Art plays a prominent role in this effort, as Hannah Hooks, Eden Project curator, elaborates. The project aims to bring artists together with environmental thought leaders, such as researchers and scientists, for a cultural exchange to develop a shared vision for a sustainable planet. One example of a successful collaboration was the Pollinator Pathmaker project by English artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg (Alethea Magazine reported on this), which is now continuing with Eden's national and international partners, such as the Serpentine Galleries in London and Light Art Space in Berlin. 

October 20, 2022 

Interview Directory 

LEADER, ART

Name: Hannah Hooks

Occupation: Curator at Eden Project

"Eden’s global mission is to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things."

You have just curated the exhibition Super Natural. How has it gone so far; can you already report positive feedback? 

Super Natural explores humankind’s ever-evolving understanding of ourselves as a part of the natural world, the interdependencies between humans and plants, and the systems that inform our varying perspectives. These are ideas that are central to the work of the Eden Project and feedback to the exhibition has been incredibly positive. Visitors (of all ages) are particularly enjoying engaging with Iman Datoo’s Making a Name, which is an audio work exploring non-verbal methods for communicating with the potato, helping us to listen to and rename through touch, imagination and play. 

People are also delighted to see work by Ai Weiwei within the exhibition. His monumental cast iron sculpture Fly (2019), part of his Roots series, is both arresting and sublime - a tangible depiction of ‘uprootedness’ it highlights the plight of indigenous populations that rely on the trees and forests of Brazil for their habitats and sustenance as well inviting visitors to consider – in a very direct way – their connectedness to the natural world. 

Can you articulate for readers the core message of the Eden Project? 

Eden’s global mission is to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things. 

We believe that only by deepening our collective understanding of the interconnections between all living things and seeing them as a whole can we protect the planet and engender environmental harmony and social equity. Super Natural builds upon that. The exhibition comprises a diversity of artworks that examine and challenge our perception of the natural world and our part in it, by focussing on human relationships with plants. It encourages us to consider what we might learn from plants, from the ‘more than human’, from reciprocal relationships in nature, and asks how different perspectives may inform and influence a shared understanding of ourselves a part of nature as opposed to apart from it. 

"We curate by selecting artists whose work responds to these themes or invite artists to respond to them directly through new work and commissions."

What is your role as curator of the Eden Project. What criteria do you use to select the themes and artists? 

I joined the project in January of this year and I am Curator for Eden Cornwall, where I work very closely with Eden’s Senior Curator Misha Curson who also works across our international projects. The Eden experience is unique, combining a broad palette of culture and creativity that maximises our ability to engage with and inspire all audiences, so my role is varied and broad. Our programme sees art, design, immersive digital installations, large scale play, large living planted environments and performances being choreographed to share learnings and stories, reflecting on topics of social and environmental imperative. 

Eden's cultural programmes are driven by the latest research and content around topics of social-environmental importance, such as Water Security, Biodiversity Decline, Climate Change and Food Security. Through programming in response to these narratives we aim to inspire, influence, educate and advocate for environmental awareness and furthermore, to empower our audiences, collaborators and peers to make positive changes. We curate by selecting artists whose work responds to these themes or invite artists to respond to them directly through new work and commissions. We broker cross-disciplinary collaboration by connecting artists with Eden's global network of thinkers, scientists and researchers. And critically, we ask artists to consider the planetary impact of their work and develop commissions with careful evaluation of the environmental cost of materials, methods and processes while supporting artists through our own expertise on forward-thinking solutions.

©Eden Project

What is the role of art in the environmental movement. How has the issue evolved in recent years and what do you hope can still be achieved? 

Art has the power to challenge perceived wisdom, to provoke, captivate and inspire. Social equity and environmental harmony are deeply connected to, and can be transformed by, cultural exchange and creativity is central to this because in order to develop a vision for a planet fit for the future, we need to nurture creative perspectives. 

The Eden Project has been delivering cross-disciplinary and collaborative art, science and education programmes successfully for over 20 years but now our new sites and projects are calling for Eden to lead on how to think through cultural regeneration coupled with environmental sustainability. Eden has the capacity to be a sector lead and to advocate, influence and educate with public audiences and across the cultural sector with regards to sustainable practice, social equity and climate justice. 

I strongly believe that in order to achieve this we need to strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion, and processes of ecological sustainability and decolonisation within our organisation and Eden is working with UCL’s Sarah Parker Remond Centre via the Black Atlantic Innovation Network to help achieve this. This collaborative work includes providing strategic support to leading arts, heritage and education organisations in taking stock of work already undertaken in these areas, exploring objectives, challenges and best practices and facilitating the emergence of collaborative future strategies within and across sectors. 

"Our ambition is to develop New Edens across the UK and around the world"

I have read that the Eden Project is expanding strongly into other countries. Can you report something about this? 

Eden is a growing movement, working on  and  developing projects locally, nationally and internationally.  Our ambition is to develop New Edens across the UK and around the world - the story is global and so is the opportunity for international exchange and collaboration. International and national projects are currently being developed in Qingdao in China2, Morecambe Bay, Dundee and Costa Rica in collaboration with teams from those different areas and responding to local themes and needs. 

We are building interconnections with local communities, artists and regenerative organisations. Artists with lived experience of the effects of deforestation – for example - are currently developing a major commission for Eden Qingdao. In parallel, Eden is working with the Matambu Forest Reserve and the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy to restore an area of rare dry tropical forest. Pollinator Pathmaker, by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, originally commissioned by Eden Project Cornwall, is now being editioned with national and international partners including Serpentine Galleries, London and Light Art Space, Berlin. 

©Eden Project