I am interested in 18th century natural philosophy, science, particularly botany, the study of hybridity in plants and animals, which, of course, then allows me to consider the hybridity of language.

My mother taught me a lot about respect for all living things - for plants and animals. I am a vegetarian. I was brought up that way.

My obsessions stay the same - historical memory and historical erasure. I am particularly interested in the Americas and how a history that is rooted in colonialism, the language and iconography of empire, disenfranchisement, the enslavement of peoples, and the way that people were sectioned off because of blood.

They are the biology of the planet much more than plants and animals.

It's actually a very ancient antiviral pathway, because it is found in animals and plants. We're just making sure it's turned on.

It helps firm up the shoreline. The plants and animals have adapted to it.