Hideaway : human and botanical agency on the east coast of England : In memory of Judith Tucker 1960–2023, painter and educator

Here the authors reflect on Hideaway, an Arts Council England funded transdisciplinary project, and culmination of ten years’ work on the east coast of the U.K. They stress the importance of prolonged engagement with people and place for meaningful socio-environmentally engaged practice and the creation of original, significant artwork. Originality lies in their blended approach, drawing from a range of influences cited here, underpinned by contextual research in botanical cultures, plant representation, and local archival research on environmental change. Their artistic production and associated outreach holds in balance: consciousness of class and privilege; the importance of place value; environmental understanding (here, saltmarsh as soft defence against flood in a time of climate crisis), and an understanding of plants as animate, thinking beings, thus bringing the cutting edge of Critical Plant Studies to the eastern edge of the U.K. and, subsequently, to national and international audiences.