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Using Horticulture as a Form of Activism with Mak Gilchrist
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me, your host Caroline Partridge. Today I talked to the Creative Director and Founder of the Edible Bus Stop Mak Gilchrist. Mak is also a good friend and longtime plant activist. In our conversation, she shares with me her 'Why' around the conception of the EBS and how her work has grown from its roots in community projects in public spaces to exploring the biosonification of plants to create mind-blowing music and visuals.
Please join me as we look at life through a different lens.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Taking a neglected public space and using plants to transform it into a pleasant, more visible space is a powerful way to stop it from being quietly passed into private hands.
- Playful projects like mini edible gardens make it fun for people to engage with and benefit from plants.
- Trees and plants have the opposite effect of the broken window, they instantly make a place more positive and attractive.
- Being around plants improves our health.
- Plants produce micro-vibrations as they grow, capturing those as data and using a program means those movements can be translated into music.
- If the sound of the music changes when you touch a plant, you really understand that we have an impact on them.
- As a collective we can really shift things and make meaningful changes.
- Immersive experiences have an emotional impact.
- Every area should have somewhere green that is pulsing with life.
BEST MOMENTS
‘What I do is horticulture as protest, and as activism.’
‘The work we do is a catalyst for other things to happen.’
‘The rhythms are supplied by plants.’
‘At a very raw stage, you can just hear the plant interact with you.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Bio:
Mak Gilchrist FRSA, founder of The Edible Bus Stop (EBS), leverages a decade of leadership experience in EBS projects. As Executive Producer, she's the primary client liaison, shaping initial responses to project briefs. In her Creative Director role, she crafts project narratives, drawing on diverse creative disciplines. Mak assembles teams and collaborates with designers across creative and fabrication fields to realize schemes. Formerly in fashion, her ethical stance from modeling propelled her career. Traveling as a model sparked her fascination with inviting public spaces. Producing and scouting in London deepened her appreciation for exterior ambiance.
Mak champions inclusivity in public design, embedding it in EBS projects. She advocates for biodiverse green spaces, promoting mental and physical well-being. She's a published author, speaker, and thought leader. EBS under her leadership earned awards, notably RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals in '21 & '22. She continually pioneers inclusive, biodiverse environments, recently showcasing 'adaptogenic experiences' at Glastonbury Festival in '22 & '23.
Links to Socials:
Website: https://theediblebusstop.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-edible-bus-stop-limited/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edible_bus_stop/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ediblebusstop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEdibleBusStop/
X: https://twitter.com/EdibleBusStop
ABOUT THE HOST
Bio
Caroline Partridge is a unique and creative individual. She is an actress, puppeteer, educator, and artist with funny bones. She loves a story and is an expert at conveying wit and wisdom with warmth, understanding, and empathy.
CONTACT METHOD
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/caropartridge
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-partridge-03131520
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/partridge_caroline
View all episodes
By Caroline PartridgeHello and welcome to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me, your host Caroline Partridge. Today I talked to the Creative Director and Founder of the Edible Bus Stop Mak Gilchrist. Mak is also a good friend and longtime plant activist. In our conversation, she shares with me her 'Why' around the conception of the EBS and how her work has grown from its roots in community projects in public spaces to exploring the biosonification of plants to create mind-blowing music and visuals.
Please join me as we look at life through a different lens.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Taking a neglected public space and using plants to transform it into a pleasant, more visible space is a powerful way to stop it from being quietly passed into private hands.
- Playful projects like mini edible gardens make it fun for people to engage with and benefit from plants.
- Trees and plants have the opposite effect of the broken window, they instantly make a place more positive and attractive.
- Being around plants improves our health.
- Plants produce micro-vibrations as they grow, capturing those as data and using a program means those movements can be translated into music.
- If the sound of the music changes when you touch a plant, you really understand that we have an impact on them.
- As a collective we can really shift things and make meaningful changes.
- Immersive experiences have an emotional impact.
- Every area should have somewhere green that is pulsing with life.
BEST MOMENTS
‘What I do is horticulture as protest, and as activism.’
‘The work we do is a catalyst for other things to happen.’
‘The rhythms are supplied by plants.’
‘At a very raw stage, you can just hear the plant interact with you.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Bio:
Mak Gilchrist FRSA, founder of The Edible Bus Stop (EBS), leverages a decade of leadership experience in EBS projects. As Executive Producer, she's the primary client liaison, shaping initial responses to project briefs. In her Creative Director role, she crafts project narratives, drawing on diverse creative disciplines. Mak assembles teams and collaborates with designers across creative and fabrication fields to realize schemes. Formerly in fashion, her ethical stance from modeling propelled her career. Traveling as a model sparked her fascination with inviting public spaces. Producing and scouting in London deepened her appreciation for exterior ambiance.
Mak champions inclusivity in public design, embedding it in EBS projects. She advocates for biodiverse green spaces, promoting mental and physical well-being. She's a published author, speaker, and thought leader. EBS under her leadership earned awards, notably RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals in '21 & '22. She continually pioneers inclusive, biodiverse environments, recently showcasing 'adaptogenic experiences' at Glastonbury Festival in '22 & '23.
Links to Socials:
Website: https://theediblebusstop.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-edible-bus-stop-limited/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edible_bus_stop/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/ediblebusstop/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEdibleBusStop/
X: https://twitter.com/EdibleBusStop
ABOUT THE HOST
Bio
Caroline Partridge is a unique and creative individual. She is an actress, puppeteer, educator, and artist with funny bones. She loves a story and is an expert at conveying wit and wisdom with warmth, understanding, and empathy.
CONTACT METHOD
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/caropartridge
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-partridge-03131520
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/partridge_caroline