Nabil Ali took inspiration for ‘The Leaf People’ from the ancient limestone carving of the Green Man on St. Mary’s Church, Great Dunmow. We don’t know when the carving was made. The Tower, where is it located, dates back to the 1400s. Nettles were gathered from St. Mary’s Riverbank by local volunteers & Nabil. Nabil then dried and processed the plants. The  heads were made using a cast made from a fourteenth century skull of a woman found during an archaeological dig at the site of a Dominican Friary in Chelmsford. The heads were cast with separate jaws using stone plaster. Wooden balls were used for the eyes. Each head was given a different personality. Nettle leaves were dipped into rabbit skin glue and layered on the cast head. Ground nettles were mixed with beewax and used to coat the head. Hessian material was cut into strips, the edges were sewn using a 120 year old sewing machine. Each sculpture needed 36 strips.  Nettles were cooked to make a dark green dye. The stripped were then dyed and hung to dry. No part of the nettle is not used. The nettle waste from the dye will be turned into a dark green pigment. Artist Deb Hart & volunteers Anne Mossman, Iris Sebba, Susan Treadwell & Catherine Mummery made the willow frames for ‘The Leaf People’.