In My Garden Series, 2003
Creating Paradise Exhibition
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre
Curator: David Cranswick
Portraits of local Vietnamese elders and medicinal plants in their garden or harvest in the neighbourhood. They generously shared knowledge of the plants, its healing and or preventable health properties and their recipes for consumption.
Outcome: Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre group exhibition in 2003. ‘In my Garden’ series showcased five hand printed black and white portraits of elders, together with colour photos of their gardens and plants and recipes. Another was one image was a front cover image for a community health report.
Nguyen Thi Nhien
Nguyen Thi Nhien collect her favourite snack in her neighbourhood, the beetle leaf. She harvests leaves from her walks from neighbouring garden fences.
Beetle leaves she shares is great for indigestion, best eaten by washing with water and rolling the leaves tightly like a cigarette and eaten fresh. She says she always has a small bag of leave in her bag where ever she goes.
Nguyen Thi Kim Chi
Nguyen Thi Kim Chi and her husband had established a backyard full of edible plants and vegetables. They shared their love of Aloe Vera and offered a cooling Aleo drink, which they drank regularly as a preventative for indigestion and is an anti inflammatory.
The recipe consisted of fresh Aloe skinned leaves blended with ice, sugar and water.
Tran Dang Do
Tran Dang Do was a Captain of a boat that sailed to Australia. He stands next to his bamboo fence in his garden. He shared the importance of ginger as natural healer for many things. The first for when one has an upset tummy, chewing a piece of ginger will help settle one’s stomach. Ginger can also be healing for bruises; roasting a large piece of ginger in the oven til soft, then taken out to be bruised and soften more. Then the ginger is to be put on the bruise area of the body for relief and held onto the body by a bandage.
Vi Thi Nguyet
Vo Thi Nguyet proudly stands in her thriving organic back garden. She eats everything she grows.
Nguyen Thi Xuyen
Nguyen Thi Xuyen proudly stands in her front garden where she grow marigolds. She shares that marigolds can be consumed as a tea and can help with aiding better digestion and can alleviate cramps.