On the 9th of September we went to the Eden Project with a brief about Survival Strategies in our hands. the aim of this brief was to gather primary research; things such as observation drawings, photos and crayon rubbings. My first thoughts were about the knowledge on plants surviving that I already had from my A Level Biology. I made notes in my journal about waxy leaves and pitted stomata and how they contribute to water loss in a leafy plant and therefore how these plants survive in dry climates.

The photos above document some of my favourite sights from the trip: a ground dwelling pheasant, a close-up of the texture of bard from a cork tree, a beautiful hibiscus flower.

I was particularly interested in the olive trees. There was a strong smell of olive emitting from the plant and the wonderful, gnarled branch system intrigued me. I did a quick observation drawing of the trunk, including notes on how the tree sustains insect live as creatures live in the grooves and holes in the bark. To further capture the gesture of the ark I used a graphite stick to do a rubbing of the bark.

This is a small collage made from flyers and leaflets I found in the information centre.

when the sun was starting to go down and I was lounging on some rugs with a couple of other students, I did a quick observation sketch of my view in the dome. I used my graphite stick instead of a pencil in order to make the sketch looser and more interpretive.