guest sessions
30.08.25 - GUEST SESSION #4
Roots of Wisdom: Ancestral Herbs with Cristian Mesa
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.
23.08.25 - GUEST SESSION #3
Plastic & Health with Dr. Maša Kenda
What toxic effects do chemicals in plastics have? What is our exposure and how can we protect our health and the environment? Dr. Maša Kenda is a toxicologist focusing on the role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in cancer development will answer these questions at the Florestania workshop this Saturday.
17.08.25 - GUEST SESSION #2
Re-imagining Urban Identity with Plants with Aki Lee and Oi Pui Hoang
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.
19.07.25 - GUEST SESSION #1
Mai Ling Reads Botany of Empire: Plant Worlds and the Scientific Legacies of Colonialism
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.
project kick-off
Our project officially launched on 15 June! We hosted a participatory performance by multidisciplinary artist Karin Cheng, who led us through a series of somatic exercises inspired by the four seasons of nature. We also unveiled our very first plastic prototype of the Moringa Tree. Participants received our Florestania tote bags to collect their plastic waste for upcoming workshops with Fantoplast and Precious Plastic Vienna.
Photos by Frankie Breakfast, 2025.