Riot of Colour
At the time the RHS shows were the home of the garden design elite, so this took everyone by surprise, even the show organisers who commissioned the project. We brought a full highways road laying team and an internationally acclaimed street artist in RISK from Los Angeles. This was way before a single plant or tree had been seen near our site. Needless to say, the plants played the central role, demonstrating how quickly nature can reclaim spaces and the many associated benefits to our health and wellbeing.
The concept followed the belief that a brutal landscape creates a brutal outlook. When you transform a grey unloved public space, you not only grow a garden, but a community too. We wanted to plant the idea in people’s minds that individuals can take responsibility for improving the built environment in the public realm. The idea that a few plants could prevent rioting may seem trite at first. But the team’s assertion that community gardening and greening can give people a sense of ownership and pride in their area, and that those feelings may prevent rioting isn’t so far-fetched.
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