Nearly two decades ago, Anna Matilda painstakingly stuck hundreds of seed samples and spices to framing offcuts for a university project. For years it was packed away, its decorative morsels becoming fodder for hungry mice. But recent rental security has given Matilda a chance to revisit the 32-panel “specimen chest”, beginning some much needed repairs and putting it back on display.
During her final year as a fine arts major, Matilda was musing on the aesthetics of bean seeds. Before long, she says, she was “raiding the pantry”, finding a new visual appreciation for the intricacies of common ingredients. She spent hours with tweezers and a glue stick arranging them in patterns.
