Rod Dillon: Our Lady Liverwort

Our Lady Liverwort
Rod Dillon

(TBC) June – 14^th September

We hope to have this exhibition open for our launch events in Port Sunlight (5th-7th June), but it may open a few days later. Date updates here shortly.

Exhibitions details

Documentary work, exploring the conservation and management of a gigantic, female,  Snakeskin Liverwort growing in Dibbinsdale Nature Reserve. The exhibition will be accompanied by a performance and walk to the Liverwort herself.

Booking links coming soon.

Background:

Care in the Community; nurturing and noticing Liverwort (she/her).

Just a mile away from Liverpool city centre lies the last tract of ancient woodland in Merseyside: Dibbinsdale and Brotherton Park nature reserve, Wirral.

As you walk past St Patricks well there is a large sandstone cliff face with an oak tree growing precariously along the top edge.  An old sandstone quarry. The stone hacked and carved from the site is long gone to become part of the human landscape of Liverpool. The wound cut into the bedrock hundred years ago has been covered by a wondrous flowing sheen of snakeskin Liverwort stretching across and up the cliff face. This is one of my places of contemplation, where I come to watch and wonder at the scale of this plant. Then I discovered her sex…

Two years ago I revisited the Liverwort covered quarry and there it was; orange and yellow spray paint graffiti in the form of crude penis. An unknown unawareness of a violation, sprayed on top of her, the regal Liverwort. Two days later the Ranger (with concerns about modesty to the dog walkers) cut out two large squares of her containing the penis graffiti. This project documents my attempts to nurture the nature of the Liverwort and help to restore her glorious form.

My art practice focuses on more than human storytelling, politics of care and concern for the liveliness of living ecosystems.  I do not see a human centred world. I have spent over 40 years researching social and mutualistic encounters, particularly between microbial and invisible species. This project addresses “Plant Blindness” the loss of the publics ability to “see” and honour the plant and microbial world around them.

The site is openly accessible by public transport. Accessible by wheelchair with care. The cliff face is 200 metres away from a Well said to have been blessed by St Patrick in 432 CE. The Well has its own Liverwort.   Dibbinsdale is a 150 acre area of ancient woodland, marsh and natural meadows; a hidden gem. I am a Dibbinsdale Volunteer and Events Manager for Dibbinsdale Walled Garden.