A surprising addition to the list of toxic owers is a plant that grows in many gardens across the country. The foxglove is a highly recognisable ower which is a favourite of cottage gardeners, however, it has the potential to irritate the skin, cause an upset stomach, trigger delirium, tremors, convulsions, headaches and fatal heart problems.

The chemicals within the plant interrupt the electrochemical system of the heart. The chemicals have been utilised to create heart medication to treat serious heart conditions, however, the therapeutic level of dosage is close to that at which toxic effects are seen so patients on these medications must be closely monitored. Modern medical science continues to extract the medication chemicals directly from the foxglove plants as they haven’t yet been successful in creating a synthetic version.

This piece mimics the manuscripts and documents that Karen Maitland would have viewed in her research, it takes the image of a manuscript page detailing the uses of the foxglove in Latin. Within the manuscript, there is a space which triggers an AR video of a 2D line animation. This animation illustrates the heartbeat being interrupted by the foxglove, slowing and eventually stopping.

If there are any plants whose reputation precede them, it must be Deadly Nightshade. Despite this there continues to be a presence of Nightshade poisonings in modern Medical Literature. Nightshade contains an alkaloid called Atropine, which causes unpleasant side effects including a rapid heartbeat, confusion, delirium, hallucinations and seizures.

Historically it played a key role in Witches Flying potions. These potions, oils and ointments would be applied to the skin and cause the user to feel as though they were lying, accompanied by vivid hallucinations such as meeting with the Devil. The users of the potion truly believed that these meetings were real, and this often led to Witches confessing to lying with the Devil when accused of practicing Witchcraft.

In modern times we understand that their experiences were side effects of the toxins in the potions, however, these confessions in Medieval times resulted in the deaths of thousands of Women.

Today the plant has proved beneficial in eye surgeries. Atropine-derived drugs are used so frequently in eye operations that few can safely go ahead without it. Another surprising benefit Atropine has to modern medicine is linked to the potent side effects of the toxin; it is added to potentially addictive painkillers to reduce the risk of addiction.

This piece responds to Deadly Nightshade and its medicinal benefits, coupled with the crippling side effects. The physical piece is a scaled-up pill packet, it’s outwardly benign appearance disguising the potentially lethal inner. The silver top features the word “Atropine” repeatedly applied, mimicking the design of medicine packets we use in our own day-to-day lives. Each of the pills appears to be missing with the foil tops torn open. However, when the AR lens is applied the pills appear scattered around the packet, each wrapped in an illustration of deadly nightshade, only this time it is saturated and distorted to visualise the side effects of the drug. When the second AR Lens is applied the viewers’ screen is filled with a distorted view of the Deadly Nightshade illustration which covers the AR pills, as a representation of the effect the Atropine toxin has on the human body. The illustration is distorted further with Bokeh and dust particles, Lens Flare, and Liquify along with layers of confusing and unnerving sounds.

One of the key ingredients in Witches’ potions, Henbane contains similar alkaloids to Deadly Nightshade. One particular quality of Henbane is its ability to intoxicate, which Medieval people were quick to notice and who then began adding it to their beer to increase its intoxicating effects. It was also recognized for its potential in rudimentary anesthesia; since Roman times it has been used as a risky form of anesthetic and it continued to be used all the way up to the 19th century. It was administered either through inhaling the vapours from a Henbane juice-soaked sponge or by throwing the plant directly onto there and directing the smoke using special hoods placed over the patient’s head. It was a dangerous method as too little Henbane would result in the patient waking during surgery, and too much would risk them never waking up. Researchers have found evidence of burnt Henbane seeds in hearths across the European continent. This piece takes the form of a black wooden cube, a simplification of a household hearth. Inside the cube there are the shapes of surgical tools ready for the operation to begin, these trigger an AR Henbane flower that smokes as though on fire.

According to Maitland’s research, there was nothing in the middle ages that struck dread in the upper classes’ hearts more than the fear of being poisoned. This is hardly surprising considering the ‘threat’ of witchcraft and the limited knowledge of medical practices. Those who studied witches had names for witches of specific practice, including names such as; Herberia (one who gathers Herbs), Pixidia (Keeper of an Ointment box) and Venecia (Poisoners). When we consider that up to the early middle ages the main practitioners of medicine were Women, i.e. Wise Women, who looked after the populous in their locality through herbal knowledge passed down for generations. These women held life in their hands and when the fear of witchcraft grew, it was these women that drew suspicion. Once medicinal herbal lore was decreed as Witchcraft, the general population were left with only religion to treat their ills, and the upper classes were at the mercy of doctors whose knowledge was often incorrect and treatments potentially lethal. The plant in this AR piece is Hemlock, a plant often mistaken for cow parsley but recognisable for the red or purple streaks on the stem. Hemlock was one of the ingredients in Witches’ potions, and is extremely toxic; Ingestion of only a small amount can cause respiratory paralysis and death, it contains a poison that affects the transmission of nerve impulses. This piece includes a portrait of Karen Maitland. In this portrait she stares outward towards the viewer, her face hard to read; challenging, knowing and benign all at once. A representation of the powerful women of the past who faced persecution for their desire to treat their friends and neighbours with ancient herbal knowledge. When the AR layer is added, a simple line drawing animation appears. A Hemlock plant grows and owers, then shrinks back down and repeats, pulsating with life and power.