Shipping Roots: Plant journeys through Empire

Shipping Roots: Plant journeys through Empire by Keg de Souza

Shipping Roots explores plant movement around the world and the long-lasting impact of colonial exploitation and expansion. Providing a platform for unheard voices and highlighting the rights and knowledge of indigenous communities. 

Artist and editor of the book Keg de Souza is joined by a host of eminent contributors and invites us to think deeply about the legacies of colonialism on the natural world through stories about the movement of eucalyptus, prickly pear and ‘wool shoddy aliens’, the seeds transported to the UK embedded in sheep fleeces during the time of Empire.

The book has been published to coincide with Keg de Souza’s first exhibition in Inverleith House at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 2023 which explores the complex relationships between plants, people and place.