Worse for wear but quite alive

Inspired by the filmmaker Derek Jarman and his beloved garden at Dungeness, Modern Nature takes its name from Jarman’s autobiographical novel, published in 1991. Together, the group read writing on and by Jarman, watch extracts from his films, and delve into his queer gardening methodologies – cuttings, foraging, beachcombing.

We’re back after a brief hiatus! For our seventh gathering, we will read and discuss Chapters 9 - 10 (November and December ‘89) of Derek Jarman’s Modern Nature. As Jarman, in his diaries, faces worsening health with AIDS related illness and we navigate this latest phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, we shall begin each session with a short demonstration of herbal remedies for immune support.

This month begins with a fermentation demonstration for improving our gut health. In Spring we will gather in real life to use the planters at the Bat Lab (GAMIS’s Batson Street Laboratory) to grow herbs that support a healthy immune system.

Automated captions will be available throughout the event, and audio and text versions of the reading will be provided in advance. If you’d like to catch up, you can listen to recordings from Modern Nature on our Soundcloud, or just join in for this month’s reading.