plastic collection

plastic forest workshops

collective learning

creating together

final
exhibition

Tree animation by Max Scheidl.

moringa tree

The Moringa Tree is a symbol of resilience, regeneration, and radical care. Known as the “miracle tree,” moringa has been cherished for centuries for its potent medicinal properties: nourishing communities, purifying water, and healing the body.In many traditions, the moringa embodies generosity — offering its leaves, seeds, and roots freely to sustain life. It reminds us that abundance can coexist with simplicity, and that healing is both a personal and collective act.

árbol ceibo:
tree of life

Árbol Ceibo is a sacred tree across the Amazon and South America. With its towering red blooms and deep roots, the Ceibo is seen as a bridge between worlds — connecting sky, earth, and the unseen realms beneath. It stands for life, strength, and the interconnectedness of all beings. In many stories, its roots hold the memories of ancestors, while its crown shelters the future. The Ceibo reminds us that to grow upward, we must also root deeply into the stories and wisdom that came before us.

twin palms

Two palm trees represent a symbol of balance, connection, and the spaces we create in between. Between them, we imagine a hammock — a place of rest, dreaming, and reflection. In the Amazon and beyond, palms offer shade, food, shelter, and a reminder that community is built not only in standing strong, but in holding space for one another. The space between the palms becomes a threshold, a gentle pause where imagination can take root.

walking palm

Our Walking Palm is a tribute to the Amazon’s adaptability and resilience. With its stilt-like roots, this remarkable tree can “walk” toward sunlight and richer soil, slowly repositioning itself to survive and thrive. The walking palm is a living metaphor for adaptability in changing environments — teaching us that movement, even when slow and deliberate, can be an act of strength. It shows that survival is not always about staying in one place, but about sensing where life can continue and daring to move toward it.

Join the collective process of transforming plastic waste into an immersive forest. Facilitated by members of Fantoplast and Precious Plastic Vienna, this workshop series will show participants various techniques like hand-shredding, injection molding and heat-sculpting. Bring your Florestania tote bag of plastic waste so we can identify the plastic species around us.

Machen Sie mit beim gemeinsamen Prozess, Plastikmüll in einen immersiven Wald zu verwandeln. Diese Workshop-Reihe wird von Mitgliedern von Fantoplast und Precious Plastic Vienna moderiert und zeigt den Teilnehmern verschiedene Techniken wie Handzerkleinerung, Spritzguss und Wärmeformung. Bringen Sie Ihre Plastikmüll-Tragetasche mit, damit wir die Plastikarten in unserer Umgebung identifizieren können.

See our workshop schedule at ESEL.AT

GUEST SESSION #2 - Re-imagining Urban Identity with Plants

Sunday 17 August 15-17h

We begin this workshop with an introduction to the Lianjiang Herbalist, a 2021 project in Qingyuan Canton, China where 107 identified plants tell the story of community resilience and belonging in an urban landscape. Next, we will go on a group foraging walk around the St. Marx area to identify the local plant species around us. This collective exercise will bring a fresh new awareness on our relationship with plants and what urban identity means.

Aki Lee is a Vienna-based Chinese artist working at the intersection of art and society. Developing urban regeneration projects since 2014, she explores power dynamics, food, and everyday acts of care as essential components of relational ecologies.Oi Pui Hoang, trained in molecular biology and studying Chinese medicine, is passionate about connecting body, mind and nature, and integrating scientific and holistic knowledge systems.

GUEST SESSION #3 - Roots of Wisdom: Ancestral Herbs

Saturday 30 August 15-17h

We invite you to a sensory journey into the living pharmacy of the Colombian Amazon. The objective of this workshop is to educate, preserve ancestral wisdom, and promote the aware and responsible use of plants.  We begin with an introduction to the Healing Jungle, plants that heal and purify, followed by  "The Women's Apothecary" and finally to the ethics and sustainability of endangered plants.

Cristian Mesa is a Colombian born and raised medicine man, who specializes in ethnobotanical and traditional medicine practices from native and Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest.

GUEST SESSION #1 - Mai Ling Reads: Botany of Empire: Plant Worlds and the Scientific Legacies of Colonialism

Saturday 19 July 15-17h

Mai Ling Reads is an informal monthly reading group, featuring intersectional feminist thinking in a casual, cozy setting. Each time, we have a selected text to learn and unlearn the way of knowing and sharing. This month, our reading session will take place within the framework of Florestania im Dritten and their projects. Together, we'll explore new connections by discussing texts and practices from both Mai Ling Reads and Florestania im Dritten. Prior reading or knowledge is not required! If you don’t have a book, send an email to Mai Ling (mai.ling@gmx.at). We will provide you with the pdf of the book.