Michelle Piergoelam: Fourteen Leaves and a Cup of Water

Michelle Piergoelam is a photographer and storyteller. From her Surinamese background, she explores myths, fairy tales, and traditional knowledge from Suriname. In her work, she connects personal history with collective memory.

Fourteen Leaves and a Cup of Water is her new photo book, produced in collaboration with Naturalis Biodiversity Center.

The book is inspired by the diary of Swedish biologist Daniel Rolander, who recorded the use of plants in Suriname in 1755. Michelle combines these historical sources with images and contemporary meaning, demonstrating how plant knowledge—shared between Indigenous peoples and enslaved people—was essential for survival and freedom.