Slow looking: a garden walk

Slow down and see the Royal Botanic Gardens in an entirely new way with Dr Olivia Meehan.  

The garden is rich with imagery, colour, and form. Please join us as we amble through the camellia collection, contemplate the herbal and medicinal garden, and stroll beneath the canopies of oak trees in search of the stories and ideas planted in each bed. Art Historian and slow looking practitioner Olivia Meehan will guide this walking tour through the Royal Botanic Gardens in search of slow time, while making connection with art and literature along the way. 

Presented as part of the Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative's 2025 walking tour series.  

What to expect:  

• A 90-minute walking tour of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.  
• A small group with plenty of opportunities for discussion and questions.  

Notes on accessibility:  

• While every effort will be made to accommodate mobility levels, please note the tour will involve walking across uneven surfaces, steep inclines and boardwalks.  

Your tour guide:

Olivia Meehan is an art historian and object-based learning specialist. She concentrates on slow looking and contemplative pedagogies that support visual intelligence and imaginative thinking. 

She received her MPhil and PhD in the History of Art from the University of Cambridge, where her graduate research focused on the circulation of cultural material and ideas in early modern Europe and Japan. She has also trained at the V&A Museum London (International Initiatives) in Creating Innovative Learning Programmes. Since graduating she has worked in museums and galleries, and as a lecturer and tutor in the History of Art. Her research practice focusses on Observation, Imagination and Slow Looking Practice 

Questions? Contact arts-engage@unimelb.edu.au

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