The Araucaria Project: my journey to discover the sacred

"The Araucaria Project: my journey to discover the sacred'' is a research-based film about the presence of the Chilean native tree “Araucaria araucana” or “Monkey Puzzle tree” in the UK. The video essay blends a documentary and poetic style, to investigate the origin of the name in English and its relationship with its autochthonous name. Hence, it explores the idea of identification through landscape and Botanics. It relies on subjects such as migration, post colonialism, identity, and the sacredness of the tree.

How important is cultural natural heritage for the preservation of endangered species? Can we identify ourselves with nature? In the case of transplanting species, can we talk about decolonization through plants?

To answer these and more questions, the artist will talk with Martind Gardner from the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh RBGE (UK) and David Geyde (UK), author of “Araucaria the Monkey Puzzle”

Fiorella Angelini (1990) is a Chilean…