Monument Game
The Monument Game is a deep map that investigates aspects of the biocultural heritage of Isle of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, through the riddle of how a Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria Araucana) came to be planted there at the time of the Highland Clearances.
Monument Game consists of a set of 56-playing cards, presenting botanical photographs taken during a field research trip to the island, and a fragmented text that can be engaged with as lyrical passages or as an unfolding narrative.
Participants are invited to play 'Go Fish'. Following a set of revised game rules, the text is read aloud so that the narrative is gradually disclosed to fellow players. The cards introduce layers of historical, cultural and visual information that are encountered as the game proceeds. The goal is to generate a convivial, shared experience to open up to new audiences the subjects of the Highland Clearances, colonialism and the impact of exotic botany on local ecosystems.
