SURVIVAL

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens took my breath away with its devotion to conservation. Preservation can be felt across both campuses. At Historic Spanish Point, visitors can experience ancient earthworks, while in the Downtown campus, horticulturists and scientists work tirelessly to protect vulnerable plants from extinction.

I was deeply moved by the hands that nurture nature and the minds that dedicate their lives to caring for our planet. As I studied the remarkable plant collections, one word came to mind: survival. I have always been fascinated by flowers, by their ability to adapt, evolve, and attract. I have also been captivated by our human relationship with the earth and our search for balance. Nature’s struggle to survive reflects our own. Our connection to the natural world, both physical and spiritual, is essential for our survival.

As responsible human beings, we must make positive changes that bring balance back to our environment. We should be thoughtful in what we consume and create, finding new ways to live, love, and play with care for the world around us. Yet for many who face persecution, illness, displacement, or disaster, immediate survival leaves little space to consider the natural world.

Over the years, I have spoken with scientists who work to adapt. Their understanding of human nature is extraordinary. They protect what they can and develop crops that will thrive in a hotter world. As an artist, I often feel a strong desire to take action and to communicate through my work. I have always believed that art and nature should be accessible to everyone. Gardens allow us to experience living nature in safety, while art gives us space to explore ideas in safety. Both offer time to pause, reflect, and appreciate the world around us.

My installations grow through community. Each flower is shaped by many hands, each creation connecting neighbours and friends. For me, survival is only possible when we work together and take the time to be considerate.

At The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, we are free to observe, to think, and to reconnect. Through my work, I hope to share many stories of Survival.

‘Survival.
I hold on.
They are still here.
Protected.
Connected.
So many hands.
Twisting.
So many flowers.
Drying.
Dried.
Dying.
Died.
A shell.
Of life.
A witness.
To Earth.
A moment.
Of time.
Evolving.
Adapting.
Survival.’

Rebecca Louise Law
April 2025