Hear from Professor Michelle Waycott in conversation with Tansy Curtin, Assistant Director, Artistic and Collection Programs.
Professor Michelle Waycott is Chief Botanist at the State Herbarium of South Australia and Professor of Plant Systematics at Adelaide University. A leading botanist and evolutionary biologist, her research explores plant diversity, adaptation and conservation, with particular expertise in seagrasses, coastal ecosystems and the native flora of southern Australia. Through her work across taxonomy, genetics and ecology, Michelle has contributed to a deeper understanding of how plants respond to environmental change and how scientific knowledge can support the protection and restoration of biodiversity.
For Nature Festival’s Tuesday Talks, Michelle joins Tansy Curtin, Assistant Director, Artistic and Collection Programs at the Art Gallery of South Australia, to explore the role of seeds and South Australia’s distinctive relationship with them. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the state’s plant life, Michelle will consider seeds as essential instruments of survival, regeneration and ecological continuity, as well as repositories of evolutionary history.
Set against an artwork featured in Nature Festival’s self-guided Art Gallery trail, the conversation brings scientific and artistic perspectives together to consider what seeds can reveal about resilience, inheritance and the future of South Australia’s landscapes.
