Art in the Gardens: Ecology Boards

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Goldsmiths Art and Ecology MA graduates and Year 9 and 10 students at Conisborough College have co-created art boards for the Horniman Gardens inspired by the Museum’s collection.

Over the course of three workshops run by Goldsmiths art students, Conisborough College pupils created artwork inspired by the Horniman and its collections. They reflected upon their own connection to nature, as well as climate and ecological issues.

The Goldsmiths art students used the work created by the Conisborough pupils to design five art boards. The boards explore the themes of sustainability and climate action.

See the results of this partnership on display in the Horniman Gardens throughout the summer.

Conisborough College

Conisborough College is a secondary school in Lewisham. The students who attend the school bring with them a diversity of experiences and backgrounds – both socially and culturally – and the school community is built on the strengths of this local diversity. This project gave year 9 and 10 art pupils the opportunity to play an active part in their local community, and the chance to motivate and inspire others through their artwork.

Artists

Finlay Forbes Gower

Finlay’s work comes from a personal embodied enquiry into how she connects with place; the human and non-human other. Her work often takes the form of poetry, performance and film and collaborative practises. She has a background in Theatre Design; Costume and Props and so storytelling forms a fundamental part of her art practise; looking for ways to connect and share experiences with others. Her modes of making draw on her interest in the sensuous, queer ecologies and phenomenology.

Benjamin Verdicchio

Benjamin Verdicchio is an artist who investigates relationships to place through its material and relational genealogies, resulting in installations, sculptures, performances, and workshops. Born in Montréal, he received his BFA from OCAD University, Toronto, and is currently working towards his studio-based MA in Art & Ecology from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Laura Buckle

Environmentally focused, Laura intends to generate awareness and action towards issues of global climate change. This socially engaged art practice takes on many forms to encourage, and inspire change from both communities and individuals. Researching environmental concerns, she presents her findings as an interweaving of art and ecology through practice, materials and experience. Creating sustainable solutions to protect our planet, and changing perspectives through the medium of art.

Sophie Hughes

Sophie Hughes is an artist whose work focuses on relationships between us and other animals through the lens of faith, science and art. Her work begins with simple questions posed to a wide range of minds, such as entomologists, faith leaders, artists and medicinal practitioners, drawing out stories which map our personal landscape and in turn our global landscape. She also runs a research archive into modern and contemporary Vietnamese art.

Becky Lyon

Becky Lyon is an art-ecologist of mixed English x Jamaican heritage from London. Her work explores how art practice can draw attention to our lively and animate ecology, illuminate the connections and interdependencies between matter and re-enchant our relationships with the living world. She’s interested in what it means for an artist to be a researcher and do the work of ecology. Her work takes multiple forms from spatial objects, ritual, participatory events, material experimentation, scent, digital image-making and words.

She has delivered events and walks for London National Park City, London Interdisciplinary School, Phytology, Soil Nexus and the DeGrowth Conference; is a member of the Bioart Coven where she convenes monthly New Moon Gatherings and hosts EARTHSHAPES a series of offerings following the wheel of the year in the British Isles through art-inspired practice. She has an MA Art & Science from Central Saint Martins and is currently studying MA Art & Ecology at Goldsmiths University where she is re-bodying with London’s forest ecologies.

Abstract painting of birds on boards in the gardens
“This board was inspired by a jay bird from the Horniman Handling Collection. Whilst closely observing the bird we became fascinated by its blue feathers and wanted to capture this in our drawings. We had not noticed jays before, but learnt that they are widespread in the UK. This project made us look and notice the nature around us.” – Conisborough College pupils.
Abstract painting of coral on boards in the gardens
“This board was inspired by coral from the Horniman Handing Collection and Aquarium. We thought the coral was mesmerising and were shocked to learn that because of human action, coral bleaching is happening in the ocean. We used bright colours in our artwork to represent how there is hope and humans can help protect the natural world. The Horniman Aquarium’s Project Coral is an example of this.” – Conisborough College pupils.
Black and white painting featuring stag beetles on boards in the gardens
“This board was inspired by a stag beetle from the Horniman Handling Collection. The rise in the population of stag beetles in London is a fantastic success story of how humans can correct their mistakes and help protect the natural world. We wanted our art to be a sign of hope and to show that things do not need to neat and pretty to be beautiful.” – Conisborough College pupils.
Abstract painting of birdson boards in the gardens
“This board was inspired by a swift from the Horniman Handling Collection. During the workshops we learnt that numbers of swifts have declined due the demolition of buildings they use as nest sites. This inspired us to draw our swifts with their wings stretched out wide, to give the swifts the space they need.” – Conisborough College pupils.
Abstract painting featuring hedgehogs on boards in the gardens
“This board was inspired by hedgehogs from the Horniman Handling Collection. We closely observed the hedgehogs and experimented with different artistic techniques, to represent the texture of the hedgehog’s spines. Although hedgehogs have spines that make them appear tough, they are threatened by the actions of humans. We considered how we can take action to help hedgehogs and the natural world.” – Conisborough College pupils.