Creative commission opportunities at Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew
1.0 Introduction
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is inviting a range of individuals and organisations, across
art-forms and methods of science engagement, to propose new works or existing works for
our summer 2015 festival programme on the theme of Spices.
Summer holds the greatest potential to attract visitors to RBG Kew and inspire them about
the importance and wonder of plants, so it is essential that we deliver a competitive, high
quality and memorable day out. In our experience this is achieved through exciting
collaborations, combining our skills with those of people in a range of creative disciplines to
deliver a festival that achieves an optimum balance of experiences for our visitor’s to enjoy.
Spices
Spices were once so valuable that capital cities were built on them, countries fought over
them and the world became better connected because of them. It’s an astonishing story of
valour and adventure on the high seas, the discovery of continents and the confirmation that
the world was a globe, the rise and fall of empires, murder, treachery, shipwreck, torture,
lust, starvation, pillage, luck and loot.
Today they may appear plentiful, but some spices may once again become rare and
expensive treasures. Largely grown by smallholders in developing countries, the quantity
and quality of the global spice supply is at risk as farmers face challenges such as falling
yields, increased costs, pests, diseases and climate change. Kew’s scientists are working
with partners across the globe to help overcome these challenges.
From food to fashion, money to music, pharmacy to plague, spices have shaped the world
we live in today in many ways.
2.0 The festival brief
This festival will explore how the journey of spices around the world, since the start of the
spice trade in the 15th Century, has shaped our modern world. It will reveal the role these
spices have played not only in the communities in which they originated, but also in the
regions where they are now farmed. It will also explore the impact of spices on Kew’s visitors
and on the multicultural city of London – not only through food and drink, but through music,
stories, religions and traditions that have been influenced by hundreds of years of cultural
exchange. It will also share the significant role that RBG Kew has played in the spice trade
and our work today.
The festival will demonstrate that our taste for spices has grown and that the global demand
for spices may increase beyond the ability to supply it. At the heart of the festival is the
message that the supply of spices is dependent on the ability to farm and harvest key spice
plants effectively and sustainably. This challenge is often due to the nature of the plant itself
and the specific growing conditions needed. It will reveal how this has led to unsustainable
farming methods, a loss of livelihoods for smaller local farmers and the adulteration of our
supplies.
The festival will celebrate key spices, such as pepper – the ‘King of Spices’ and cardamom –
the ‘Queen of Spices’, through which we can tell an abundance of stories surrounding their
cultural and economic value and scientific make-up.
2.1 Key spice details
Where: The festival takes place across the site of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and
through our online and outreach channels. Proposals can be site-specific within the Gardens
or adaptable to a variety of locations.
When: 23 May 2015 to mid Sept 2015 (with potential for extra autumn content).
Commissioned activity can take place throughout these dates or on specific periods within
that time frame.
Access: Entry to the Gardens is currently free to our members and to all children. Nonmember adults are charged an entry fee. Commissioned proposals will generally take place
free of charge to those who have entered the Gardens, although we are also willing to
consider proposals that would entail a supplementary ticket price, or that may have both free
and paid-for elements.
Who: Summer is the busiest period for Kew Gardens. It is common to welcome over 10,000
visitors on a popular day. Our quietest days see a few thousand and our busiest over 20,000
visitors. Please see target audiences below for more details.
2.2 Spice festival mood words

Multisensory – colour, smell, music, taste

Vibrant

Inclusive and multicultural

Adventurous

Story telling
2.3 Target audiences
We have a broad range of audiences that visit Kew Gardens and our festivals are not
targeted at them all. For example, about 30% of our visitors during the summer months are
overseas tourists. Our festivals are not targeted at this audience, but festival content needs
to be sensitive and consider that visitors come to enjoy the Kew experience outside of the
festival programme.
Our audience segments for festivals are listed below in order of priority. More information
can be provided on their motivations for visiting during the development phase. Strong
projects will have elements that have wide appeal across audience segments and do not
exclude any visitors.
Priority 1

Nature Connectors – this includes independent adults and families
Open-minded and confident, they are equally happy exploring new things as they are
with mainstream activities. Nature and the natural world are a priority.

More likely to be over 55 years old than the average.

More likely to be degree educated than the average.

Want both social experiences and intellectual outcomes.

Want to learn and to develop their children’s interests and knowledge.
Priority 2
Exciting New Experience Hunters – this includes independent adults and families

More likely to be under 35 years old than the average.

More likely to be degree educated than the average.

Want both social experiences and intellectual outcomes.

Higher than average motivation to learn about plant science and conservation.

Want lots to do and to try new experiences.
Priority 3
Discerning Sensualists – just includes adults

More likely to be over 35 years old than the average.

More likely to be degree educated than the average.

Highly culturally active with concern for the environment.

Seek aesthetic experiences and intellectual stimulation.
2.4 Visitor experience criteria
We are open to imaginative and eye-catching proposals of all kinds to engage and stimulate
our visitors with the story of spice plants. This could include, but is not limited to:
-
artistic and/or interactive installations
unique interventions, such as a spice market at Kew
a pop up performance space for live performance and engagement
performance including dance, drama and music
pop up sensory catering experiences
workshops or self-guided trails
info-graphics and digital art
new horticultural displays
digital and technological innovations
Proposals should aim to address at least five of the following key criteria:
1. Involve visitors physically and socially
2. Deliver thought provoking content of relevance to target audiences, in an
accessible and informal format that encourages participation and discussion
3. Be site specific or unique to Kew, drawing on our science and horticulture stories
4. Engender a sense of surprise or wonder
5. Attract significant media attention through an innovative approach and compelling
content
6. Have visual impact within the scale of the landscape and provide a strong press
image
7. Involve live engagement with our target audiences that is memorable, flexible,
emotive and fun
8. Involve partnerships that bring new approaches
9. Deliver robust and weather-proof content for the duration of the festival
10. Be of a scale to engage large numbers of visitors daily
Appendix 3 contains three diagrams illustrating audience experience descriptors developed
from our audience research. Proposals should engage visitors in the ways described by
these diagrams. Appendix 4 contains past project examples for reference.
2.5 Key festival outcomes
1. A “must-see” highlight of the summer calendar in London for people in our identified
audience segments.2. A higher volume of visitors than our successful Plantasia festival,
summer 2014.3. Delighted and engaged visitors that:
(a) feel inspired by the wonder of plants and plan to make return visits to Kew
and/or to take out or renew membership, and
(b) come away having discovered more about the importance of plants in their
daily lives and the importance of plant conservation, and
(c) the vital role that Kew plays to enhance global plant knowledge and
conservation.
4. A thematic approach that is followed through with profitable retail, catering and other
commercial opportunities.
5. A content-rich platform for PR and digital activity to channel great stories and promote the
festival and Kew science to a wider range of audiences.
6. An inclusive and relevant offer that celebrates cultural exchange and its impact on today’s
multicultural UK, in particular London.
2.6 Proposal ‘Lots’
This brief has been divided into six ‘Lots’. You are able to tender for one or more ‘Lot’ and
each will be scored on its own individual merits. Below is further information on each. There
may be elements of your proposal that are applicable to more than one ‘Lot’, but please
select the one that best fits the main focus of the offer.
Lot 1
Name: Core Festival
Background: These proposals will be a core part of the festival offer. The experience or
product will need to consider the breadth of our target audiences in terms of their motivations
and age, and also consider the breadth of the visitor experience criteria on section 2.4. The
proposal should address the key science and conservation themes identified in a way that is
relevant to our audiences. It should also realise all the mood words for the festival.
Legacy: The main purpose of this proposal is for delivery at Kew for the summer festival
2015, but it should also demonstrate how materials or content can be repurposed or re-used.
Budget: £10,000 to £90,000
Programme: May- September
Included: Design, install/delivery, maintain and decommission.
Lot 2
Name: Engaging families
These proposals should be aimed specifically at engaging families with children from 3 to 12
years of age (entertaining both parents and children). Content should inspire families about
the importance of plants and conservation, as well as the role the spice trade played in
shaping the modern world. Key periods for this content to be delivered are during the school
holidays and ideally also weekends throughout the festival. These activities should be able
to facilitate large numbers of family visitors on busy days and consider that indoor space is
limited and may not be available.
Legacy: The main purpose of this proposal is for delivery at Kew for the summer festival
2015, but it should also demonstrate how it can be repurposed to provide content for schools
programmes on site and through outreach programmes.
Budget: £20,000 to £60,000
Programme: May - September
Included: Design, install/delivery, maintain and decommission.
Lot 3
Name: Culinary experiences
These proposals should provide food and drink experiences at Kew which will complement
our existing catering provision. This multi-sensory offer should bring the taste, smell and
colour of spices to large numbers of our visitors. Proposals must be imaginative, innovative
and have a sense of theatre to engage visitors with the story of spices. This is a creative
commission - there will be a separate commercial catering commission released later in
November for the festival.
Budget: £5,000 to £60,000
Legacy: The main purpose of this proposal is for delivery at Kew for the summer festival
2015, but it should also demonstrate how materials or content can be repurposed or re-used.
Programme: May - September
Included: Design, install/delivery, maintain and decommission
Lot 4
Name: Music, dance and storytelling
Music, dance and stories have great potential to bring to life the adventures that took place
during the spice trade, and the range of cultures and traditions involved historically and
today. Kew Gardens provides a unique setting for music, dance and storytelling with great
glasshouses and historical temples, as well as beautiful landscapes.
Budget: £5,000 to £60,000
Programme: May - September
Included: Co-ordination, design, delivery, maintain and decommission
Lot 5
Name: Star plants
Spice plants are often tropical and are not easy to grow in the UK. There will be several
spice plants on display in either the Palm House or the Princess of Wales Conservatory,
such as pepper, vanilla, nutmeg, chillies and tamarind. We hope that every visitor to Kew will
see these spice plants during their visit. Proposals should address the display around these
plants to help give visitors a greater insight into that specific plant’s story – historically and
today, scientifically and culturally. However, proposals should also consider the display and
engagement methods for spice plants that we can’t display, such as saffron.
This proposal should consider the breadth of the target audiences, ensuring there are
accessible elements for families and independent adults.
For budget calculations assume there are ten different spice plants to interpret.
Budget: £35,000 to £55,000
Programme: May - September
Included: Project co-ordination, research, design, install/delivery, maintain and
decommission.
Lot 6
Name: A Spice Market
These proposals should bring the essence of a spice market to Kew Gardens for key periods
of the festival, enabling visitors to see multiple vibrant, artistic and colourful displays of
spices in various forms. This experience would need to accommodate large visitor numbers
at busy times, circa 10,000 people throughout the day.
Budget: £30,000 to £90,000.
Programme: May - September
Included: Co-ordination and management, design, install/delivery, maintain and
decommission.
2.7 Key practicalities

Sustainability - Appointed applicant(s) will be required to:
-
Use only environmentally appropriate materials;
-
Ensure that the project has an after-life and that materials can be either re-used or
that the work is located/installed elsewhere;
-
Provide employment, volunteering or mentoring opportunities where possible.
 Health & safety
Appointed applicant(s) will be required to demonstrate the competence of key
contractors and provide information in a timely fashion to ensure robust management
of any health and safety risks.

Most spice plants are tropical and are therefore on display in the Tropical Palm
House or the Princess of Wales Conservatory. There will also be some spice plants
on display in the Mediterranean Garden.

Festival content is required to be durable, robust and able to last in the open
elements for 3-5 months (including install and de-rig).

Festival content can be proposed for any part of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
including in a glasshouse, the Broad Walk or other external landscapes, except that
the following areas are unlikely to be available; the Temperate House; the Pavilion
Restaurant and surrounds, the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art; the Nash
Conservatory; The Great Lawn.

Live performance and live interpretation proposals must demonstrate that the work
can be experienced by significant visitor numbers. Performance proposals can also
be a complimentary and ancillary activity to a proposed installation/display, etc.

During project development we can facilitate access to Kew archives, collections,
plant science and conservation work via our Herbarium, Library and Archives, the
Jodrell Laboratory, Millennium Seed Bank, the Economic Botany Collection and
through our horticultural department and staff.
For more detail on working with Kew Gardens please see Appendix 1.
2.8 Festival content themes
The following four themes identify key areas of content that will underpin the festival and
proposals should address several key areas. Successful candidates will receive advice from
Kew experts to support the development of accurate, compelling and pertinent content.
1. Why is a plant spicy?





Adaptation: How plants have evolved to become spicy – the environment
necessary for their growth and how their pollination and defence mechanisms
relate to their spicy parts.
Which part of the plant is the spice? E.g. Saffron is the stigma (female
reproductive organ), coriander is the seed and cinnamon is the bark.
Taste, flavour and smell, and the chemistry behind this.
The boundary between food and medicine: Many of the aromatic compounds in
spices are medicinal and in many societies there is no boundary between food
and medicine.
Which families are spices from on the plant family tree?
2. Sustainable spices and safe supplies

Sustainable spices - How are spices farmed, harvested and extracted traditionally
and today?




Sustainable livelihoods of farmers.
Authentication and adulteration of spice supplies.
New propagation techniques involving stem cell harvesting: Some industries are
exploring taking a stem cell from a plant and developing the bit of the plant they
need in a fermenter. This will provide the chemical – the flavouring of the spice,
but without the plant. It may not replace the black peppercorns in our pepper
grinders, but it could replace the flavouring in ready meals? Is this natural?
Wild relatives of spice plants and the importance of genetic diversity in crops.
3. Kew Gardens’ role in the spice trade



Many spices have been transferred around the world by Kew. Two key periods
with Joseph Banks from 1780 to 1820 and then between 1841 and the 1930’s.
Spice brokers in London would often send spices to Kew for authentication and
this formed many of the collections now held in the Economic Botany Collection.
Kew still carries out authentication research into key spice plants today, such as
Star Anise, to ensure the purity of supplies.
Kew protected the Dutch King in Kew Palace during the political hand over of
spice producing Dutch overseas territories from Holland to Britain. This was done
as a temporary measure to keep them out of the hands of the French, whom the
Netherlands were at war with at the time.
4. Cultural themes




How spices and the spice route/trade have shaped our cultural heritage through
food, music, storytelling (1001 Arabian Nights).
Legacy of Empire and London as a world city.
The role of spice in forming cultural identity.
Art and cultural expression in spice growing communities.
Appendix 1
Working with Kew
All applicants must take into consideration the following points about working at Kew:

Kew is a World Heritage Site and protection of the collection is paramount. Some
specific areas cannot be used due to heritage and conservation restrictions. There
are also specific restrictions regarding anchoring work in the external and internal
locations in the Gardens.

There is a requirement for local authority planning permission for temporary built
structures – this process can take eight weeks.

The Princess of Wales Conservatory has 10 climatic zones. Within this, for example,
the Tropical Rainforest Zone houses plants from the wet tropics. This zone is very
humid and work needs to be durable and water resistant – the same applies to the
Palm House.

Plant materials cannot be moved or displaced without the involvement and authority
of Kew Horticulture.

Plant materials cannot be introduced into the Gardens as they can cause a risk to our
plant collections. In some cases we can facilitate the introduction of plant material via
fumigation and quarantine processes. However, this should be considered at the
proposal stage, as there are time and cost constraints if it is proposed at a later
stage.

Trackway is generally required when vehicles are used to install works in grass areas
off the pathways.

Vehicle size and movement is restricted in the Gardens and is to be negotiated and
agreed as part of project planning.

Materials should take into consideration the natural environment and the site
specificity of location but can potentially offer a contrast to this environment.

Kew encourages the use of sustainable materials and wants to ensure that
temporary festival content is planned and delivered taking into consideration
sustainable materials and the repurposing of the work at the end of the festival
programme.

As a general rule, large scale work should be constructed in components in order to
ensure that it can enter the site and glasshouses and be installed with ease.

The install of work can be in a variety of ways such as using interesting and animated
structures that can position the work in plant bedding, lightweight materials
suspended from glasshouse ceilings, on a platform in a pond, etc.

Vehicle access to the Gardens is restricted; access is provided before and after
public opening hours.

Successful applicants will enter into a contract with Kew and a condition of this
contract is to fill out a Contractor’s Questionnaire and provide relevant health &
safety documents for the install and de-rig (risk assessments and method
statements). If required, successful applicants will consult with a structural engineer,
a health and safety advisor and are responsible for this cost.

Successful applicants will be required to have Public Liability insurance to the value
of £5million (minimum) and submit a copy of the policy prior to working at Kew.

Installations should not be easily climbable, or have trap hazards or sharp edges that
can cause injury to the public.

All works should also consider durability, vandalism and theft; they should not be
made of valuable materials, should be resistant to vandalism and should last in the
open elements for up to four months.

Successful applicants are responsible for the maintenance of their works and must
ensure they meet Kew’s public programme standards throughout the festival
duration.

Successful applicants will be responsible for the delivery and installation of their
works.

Successful applicants will be responsible for the de-rigging of their works.
The work should have a considered after-life; there will need to be a plan as to what
happens to the work after it leaves Kew, this could include the materials being reused for other creative projects or the work could be installed in other locations.
Appendix 2
Spices – a quick introduction.
Spices, like herbs, add interest to a diet containing mostly bland carbohydrates. They are
characteristically aromatic, usually but not always because they contain volatile oils or resins.
Virtually any part of the plant may be used: rhizomes (ginger, turmeric), bark (cinnamon), leaves
(curry plant), flower buds (cloves, capers), stigmas (saffron), arils (mace), but most often fruits and/or
seeds are used.
Spice tease
 Arab traders, who bought their spices in India, kept their sources secret and invented wild stories
of the dangers of obtaining spices from mysterious far-off lands. The Arabian Nights stories told
by Scheherezade to her husband to save her life, were probably Arab tales of this kind (such as
Sinbad the Sailor), collected between the 14th and 16th centuries.
 Arabs maintained that cinnamon was harvested from the nests of ferocious birds and had to be
gathered under their attack. Large chunks of fresh meat would be left out for the birds to take
back to their nests, which would crash to the ground under the weight. The brave Arabs then
grabbed the nests, from under the talons of their previous owners.
 Harem women ate roasted Fenugreek to develop a buxom figure.
 In ancient Egypt cassia and cinnamon fetched a high price because they were essential for
embalming; so too were anise, marjoram and cumin, used to rinse out the innards of the worthy
dead.
 Romans used spices in every imaginable combination for their foods, wines and fragrances. The
rich slept on pillows of saffron in the belief that it would cure hangovers.
 According to Malaysian folklore, turmeric was a protection against crocodiles.












In Java the natives decided that the reason the English wanted so much pepper was because
their houses were so cold that they plastered crushed pepper into the walls to give off heat.
In China, commoners chewed Cloves to sweeten their breath before talking to the emperor.
The famous password ‘Open Sesame’ from the tale of Ali Baba probably came from the way
sesame seed pods open with a sharp pop to spill their seeds.
Mohammed, born about AD. 570, married a wealthy spice-trading widow. His Islamic missionaries
spread the faith throughout Asia as they traded for spice. Muslims came to dominate the trade
and Islam became one of the most prominent religions in the world.
If you adulterated spice in the Middle Ages you could be burnt at the stake.
Some ‘Danish Pastries’ contain cardamom because the Vikings got a taste for the spice when
they traded it for furs on the River Volga.
Kind Edward IVth, in the fifteenth century, used to perfume his personal linen with anise. A
century later it was used as a mousetrap bait.
The term 'buccaneer' comes from the dried meat cured with Allspice of the Arawak Indians, called
'boucan', adopted by pirates in Jamaica.
Elizabeth the 1st had a fancy for gingerbread which her cook made into the likenesses of her
courtiers. Copied by others it became our traditional gingerbread man.
In the 19th Century, Mincing Lane in London became the centre of spice-trading for the world.
Pepper still accounts for a quarter of the world’s spice trade.
The spice trade today is worth over 7 billion dollars a year. India, Vietnam and Indonesia
represent over a 1/3 of global spice exports, whilst the USA is the main importer.
Pepper – The King of spices
Black pepper is one of the oldest known spices. Originating in the tropical forests of India, it was once
known as black gold, second in value only to nutmeg, but today, seldom is a meal taken without it.
Black pepper, white pepper and green peppercorns are all produced from fruit of the same species,
Piper nigrum, but are harvested at different times and are processed differently. As well as a flavoring,
black pepper is also used in traditional medicine, particularly for digestive ailments.
India is a key producer of black pepper and exports much of what is grown. Peppercorns from
Malabar and Tellicherry in Kerala, India, are particularly prized for their flavour and pungency.
Pepper production was long confined to a small region in India; due to this and expensive transport
(among other reasons) the price of pepper remained high forcing Europeans to find substitutes. The
long pepper, cubeb pepper and pink pepper have all had a more dominant role in Western cooking in
the past.
Pepper needs very precise climatic conditions to grow, and our warming climate might threaten crops
and impact livelihoods. In major black pepper growing areas of India rainfall is decreasing while
temperature is increasing, and this has been associated with decreasing black pepper productivity.
Conserving the genetic diversity found in wild relatives of pepper is becoming ever more important.
Cardamom – The Queen of spices
Cardamom is the third most expensive spice in the world (after saffron and vanilla). It takes a long
time to grow and therefore demand is exceeding supply. This leads to adulteration of supplies with
species from Africa (Afromomum spp.) and South East Asia (Amomum spp.).
th
th
Cardamom was known and grown in Assyria and Babylon by the 8 to 7 centuries BC. By the time of
the Greek and Roman Empires, there were well-established overland trade routes across Asia, most
notably the Silk Road, which ran for over 4000 miles from China to the Persian Gulf. Cardamom and
other spices – as well as silk – were imported to the Mediterranean via the Silk Road and other
routes.
Today India produces most of the World’s cardamom, but very little of it is exported due to the high
demand in the country. Instead, Guatemala provides us with most of the cardamom we eat even
though cultivation was only introduced in 1914.
Cardamom was used by the Romans and Greeks for digestion and as a breath freshener but it is now
used in Indian sweets and other culinary dishes around the world. It has a particular importance in
Nordic baking. Countries like Sweden and Finland use it in traditional treats such as Finnish sweet
bread pulla and in the Scandinavian Christmas bread Julekake.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is the bark of the tree. A tree is grown for two years before being coppiced. The stems of
the new growth are cut and processed immediately after harvesting, while the inner bark is still wet.
The outer bark is scraped off before the branch is beaten evenly with a hammer to loosen the inner
bark, which is then pried off in long rolls. This inner bark is dried and used for spice – it is an aromatic
essential oil in the bark that gives it its distinctive flavour.
Cinnamomum verum can be considered to be ‘true cinnamon’ but it is one of several species of tree
in the same genus whose aromatic bark is harvested and sold as cinnamon. Others include cassia,
which originates from China not Sri Lanka like C. verum. These different species are often confused
in historical stories about the spice trade.
Farmers growing cinnamon use slash and burn techniques that destroy the whole tree and land. This
leads to the loss of the area and farmers then clear new areas to farm, causing habitat loss and
deforestation. Traditional cinnamon peelers in Sri Lanka are struggling to keep up with the new
industry techniques for harvesting and preparing cinnamon and the craft is dying out. There is a
2000% mark up from the farmer to our shops.
Vanilla
The vanilla orchid Vanilla planifolia grows wild in tropical forests and belongs to one of the oldest and
largest groups of flowering plants – the orchids. Of all the orchids, the vanillas are the only ones that
produce an agriculturally valuable crop, and 95% of the world’s traded vanilla pods are derived from
just one species – V. planifolia.
The vanilla orchid, originally farmed by the Totenac community in Mexico, was transported to
Madagascar for cultivation during the spice trade. Cultivation was unsuccessful at first. In México the
orchid was pollinated by a small bee that is not found in Madagascar. The Madagascan farmers
eventually discovered a hand pollination method, invented in 1841 by Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old
slave who lived on the French island of Réunion.
Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron – growing vanilla seed pods is labourintensive but hand-pollination allowed global cultivation of the plant. In less than 100 years
Madagascar and Indonesia have become the main sources of vanilla, with Mexico only producing 1%.
There are concerns that the Mexican vanilla orchid will become extinct as Totenac farmers cease to
sustain their livelihoods.
Vanilla vines have been catalogued in Kew's Living Collection since the 18th century and were among
the plants at Kew illustrated by Franz Bauer, commissioned by Sir Joseph Banks when he was
unofficial Director of Kew.
There are 20 specimens of Vanilla planifolia in the Economic Botany Collection. These include
samples of pods and vanillin. The Herbarium at Kew contains both dried and alcohol-preserved
specimens of Vanilla planifolia. The details of some of these, including one image, can be viewed
online in the Herbarium Catalogue. The vanilla orchid in the Palm House at Kew flowers every year
and is hand-pollinated in order to produce pods.
Work done at Kew used DNA technology to trace the evolution of this popular plant, which contains
more than 25,000 species. By looking at patterns in nature, they hope to unravel the processes that
shaped the pathways leading to this biodiversity.
Star anise
Star anise has been over exploited as its medicinal potential has rocketed since discovery of its
potential to pre cursor as anti viral for SARS Virus, among other traditional medicinal uses.
It has been cultivated since about 2,000 BC, and is thought most likely to be native to southern China
and northeast Vietnam.
Kew is heavily involved in the authentication of star anise, among other plants. Scientists in the
Jodrell Laboratories has developed a range of analytical methods based on chemical and DNA
fingerprinting to identify the species of plants being traded, their quality, as well as identifying new
uses.
Japanese star anise appears very similar to the Chinese version, and is closely related, but contains
toxic chemicals that cause serious neurological effects and it known to have resulted in liver failure.
One of the new techniques invented at Kew, which analyses some of the volatile compounds in the
plants, can accurately detect the difference between the two species.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg was the most expensive spice in the world and was at the centre of the brutal spice race
between the Dutch and English. It is is the only tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices –
nutmeg and mace.
Seeds from the nutmeg tree are dispersed predominantly by birds. A recent study attached GPS
transmitters to assess seed dispersal. The tracking data revealed that toucans are excellent seed
dispersers.
Nutmeg is known to contain a psychoactive element called myristicin, whose chemical structure
shares similarities with mescaline, amphetamine, and ecstasy. The intoxicating properties of nutmeg
have more recently been documented by Malcolm X, who took it as a semi-drug in prison, but high
doses of myristicin can have severe side effects and, in some cases, have been fatal.
Saffron - Red Gold
Saffron is now the most expensive spice in the world worth approx £4000 per kilo. The stigma is
plucked from a type of crocus, the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Out of 100,000 to 250,000 plants,
one pound of saffron is yielded..
Saffron can only be harvested for one month of the year, therefore the adulteration of supplies is rife.
Fake saffron is made from some chemically similar plants and is quite difficult to detect – however on
other occasions it is made from plastic! Fake saffron threatens the livelihoods of saffron growing
regions around the world (mostly Morocco and Spain).
As with a number of other plants, the crocus that saffron is obtained from may also be the source of
important chemicals that may lead to the development of new drugs that have better outcomes for
certain diseases. For example; in Alzheimer’s Disease, antipsychotic drugs are widely used to treat
agitation but can have adverse effects that include further cognitive decline and social withdrawal.
Saffron was investigated as a possible treatment for dementia.
Ginger
Ginger is a well known spice produced from the rhizome (underground stem) of the tropical
herbaceous plant, Zingiber officinale. Originally from Asia, it is now an important crop in Jamaica.
It is rich in vitamin C and was used by Chinese sailors to ward off scurvy. To ‘ginger up’ means to
liven up your life!
Ginger has also featured in Kew’s Remembered Remedies project where the Herbal Traditions of
Britain have been research. It has been recorded as a treatment for stomach problems. Many of its
actions are due to the presence of compounds in the rhizomes called oleoresins, especially those
known as gingerols and shogoals. The compounds work on the muscles of the gut to improve
digestion.
All over the British Isles people used to relish a frothy, fizzy, gingery, alcoholic beer which was made
at home. All you needed was a bit of sugar, ginger, water and a ginger beer 'plant'. But it wasn't a
typical green, leafy kind of plant. It was a sloppy, white mass that lived in a jam jar. It would be
regularly 'fed' with sugar and every so often the liquid would be tapped off, diluted and bottled. The
liquid would ferment in the bottle, producing the fizz. After about a week or so it was ready to drink.
The plant was treated like a chain letter. As it grew it was halved and passed to family and friends.
No one has ever worked out where the first ginger beer plants came from, but the mystery of its
identity was solved by a pioneering scientist in the late nineteenth century. Harry Marshall Ward
studied how plants and microorganisms live together in symbiotic relationships. He became curious
when a friend at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, gave him a ginger beer plant. As the years passed
he built up a whole collection of ginger beer plant specimens and painstakingly identified, separated
and attempted to grow the different organisms within the mixtures.
His analyses revealed that it was a type of organism new to science. He described it as a 'composite
body', consisting of many microorganisms living together. Not all of these microbes helped in making
the beer, but two organisms were present in every sample, and seemed vital to the production of
ginger beer. One was a fungus he named Saccharomyces pyriformis. The other was a bacterium,
which he named Bacterium vermiforme, and is now called Brevibacterium vermiforme. Together, they
produce the essential ingredients of traditional ginger beer: carbon dioxide and alcohol. The popularity
of the ginger beer plant died out. The commercial, canned ginger beer of today is very different. It
doesn't contain alcohol and isn't made by fermentation.
Tamarind
Tamarind is widespread around the world, yet its origin is unknown. It has a long taproot, which
enables it to survive in areas or periods of low water, when other plants cannot survive. There is a
theory that it was planted by sailors for this reason, but nobody really knows how it was spread
around the world.
There are a huge number of uses for various parts of the tamarind tree; the edible fruits, and
especially the pulp, can be eaten raw or used as an ingredient in curries, pickles, confectionery and in
fermented drinks. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. Tamarind wood is used as timber, firewood
and for charcoal. Other uses of the species include medicines, dyes and for planting as an
ornamental.
There are a number of stories from around the world about its use, past and present. Its fruit is a
curved pod that turns brown when ripe. During the British occupation of India, British soldiers would
put a fresh tamarind in their ear when entering native areas to protect themselves. People in southwest India believed that the fresh pods were inhabited by demons and avoided the soldiers who were
wearing them!
Tamarind is a well known spice, but is now also marketed as confectionary. It grows easily from
seeds saved from the candied “sweets.” It is also part of Kew's Useful Plants Project which aims to
increase the capacity of local communities to store and propagate plant species that are most useful
to their wellbeing. The useful plants project team ran workshops in communities to educate local
people about the importance of conserving useful species and preserving local knowledge. Training
was provided on seed collecting, conservation and propagation, enhancing the ability of the local
community to cultivate useful plants.
Other spices to consider
Latin
Allium sativum
Capparis spinosa
Capsicum annuum
Carum carvi
Coriandrum sativum
Cuminum cyminum
Curcuma longa
Cymbopogon citratus
Foeniculum vulgare
Juniperus communis
Myristica fragrens
Pimenta dioica
Pimpinella anisum
Sesamum indicum
Sinapis alba
Syzygium aromaticum
Trigonella foenum-graecum
Common
Garlic (Kew info link)
Caper
Chillies
Caraway seed
Coriander seed
Cumin seed
Turmeric
Lemon grass (Kew info link)
Fennel seed
Juniper berries
Nutmeg & mace
Allspice (Kew info link)
Anise (aniseed)
Sesame seed
Mustard seed
Cloves
Fenugreek
Appendix 3
Experience descriptors “I would like my
experience to be.........”
Tone of voice descriptors – “How I would like
to be spoken to........”
Outcome descriptors – “I would like to feel like
this after my visit.....”
Appendix 4: Past Projects
IncrEdibles, Summer 2014, Tutti Frutti
Boating Lake and Banana Grotto with
Bompas and Parr
Incredibles, Summer 2014, Tom Hare’s Fairy Fungi Ring
of the 7 British native edible fungi sculptures
IncrEdibles, Summer 2014, Pop Up Kitchen from Curated Place, with live
cooking demonstration using plants from the Global Kitchen Garden.
IncrEdibles, Autumn 2013, Tom
Hare’s Fungi Fairly Ring of the
seven native edible fungi species.
Incredibles, Summer 2013, Bouncy Carrot
Patch with Hide and Seek
Incredibles, Summer 2013, Palm House.
Interactives from Outside Studios that
accompanied key tropical food plants.
Intoxication Season, Autumn
2014, Mechanical Chemical
Machine
Intoxication Season, Autumn 2014, Mind-altering
Plants Display
Intoxication, Autumn 2014, Plant
Connoisseurs Club with Bompas and Parr
Passionate Plant Hunters, Kew Orchid
Festival February 2014
Plantasia, Summer 2014 at Kew,
Plant Family Croquet
Plantasia, summer 2014, Kew
Croquet, from plant discovery to
dispensary, with Angel Exit
Theatre.
Plantasia, Summer 2014, The Gin Garden
Plantasia, Summer 2014 at Kew, Healing Giant with Kirsti Davies
Plantasia, Summer 2014 at Kew,
The Barefoot Walk
Plantasia, Summer 2014 at Kew, Yarn Bombing
Plantasia, Summer 2014 at Kew, Mrs M’s Cart of
Curative Curiosities with Too Big For Ballet
The Perils of Poisonous Plants at Kew Gardens, Autumn
2014 with Goat and Monkey