Guided by friendly, knowledgeable hosts, visitors choose their own pathways through an open-ended, botanical treasure hunt that includes story-telling, drawing, painting and nature connection.

Twelve, beautifully crafted, knee-high, display domes are strategically placed throughout a public garden, park or woodland. Each contains intriguing artefacts, plant life or miniature scenes that invite the public to come closer, observe deeply and make field notes. Following their own curiosity and imagination, audiences uncover the astonishing details of local and exotic plants and experience the stories and wisdom of naturalists through the ages.

A sense of awe and respect for the natural world is at the heart of this offering, created by award winning storyteller, Michele O’Brian, with artist Teresa Grimaldi and outdoor arts specialist, and co-founder of Playing Out, Amy Rose.

Wonderdomes is inspired by the life of Victorian botanical artist and plant biologist Marianne North. North was known for her vivid oil paintings of plants from across the globe, which, unlike others of her time, she painted in their natural environments. An ‘intrepid explorer’, North was sensitive to the dangers of removing plants from their habitats. She exchanged letters with Darwin, who shared her concern about environmental conservation. Her legacy is one of resilience and passion; she invites respectful immersion in the natural world, not only for knowledge, but for emotional and physical wellbeing.

We have worked to address the complex histories of women in the male-dominated world of ‘plant hunters’, and the ways that the practices of Victorian explorers aligned with colonialism and imperialism. These layers are introduced and managed in age-appropriate ways throughout.