Spring and summer brings a bouquet of floral beauty, industrious insects and blankets of pollen across the landscape: it’s a time of intense ecological activity and for some, allergies! Have you ever wondered what pollen is, what it looks like, how it travels through the world and why? As a flower lures a bee, you too will be drawn into a new realm, as you go on a deep dive into the curious microscopic universe of plant pollen. This larger-than-life production will explore human-plant entanglements, propagating curiosity, growing understanding and cultivating fresh perspectives around the world of pollen. Presented in the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium’s Cosmic Skydome followed by a Q+A with the artists and special guests.

Featuring imagery by donna davis, Jo-Anne Driessens, story by Dr Abbey Yatsko and sound design by Luke Lickfold.

Artist-in-residence donna davis has been collaborating with the Queensland Herbarium and Biodiversity Science (QHBS) Unit alongside a team of botanists and ecologists, studying the vast herbarium collection through the lens of their state-of-the-art imaging equipment to explore new and curious microscopic worlds. The residency couples rigorous botanical research and data generation with creative experimentation to inspire works that work to engender more familiar relationships with plants in this time of environmental change.

A Pollen Odyssey is part of World Science Festival Brisbane. Find out more here.