Saatchi Gallery - RHS Botanical Art & Photography Exhibition

AWARDED SILVER MEDAL: Contained, A study of Botanical Glass Houses

An exploration of botanical houses, the construction and manmade containment of plants. This series looks at how these diverse environments were created, cared for and have grown into their constructs. How the plants start to grow into their surroundings, winding around iron work, pushed up against damp glass surfaces creating alternative environments to escape into.

In this series I wanted to look at how this planned planting interacts with the architecture that it’s housed within. A celebration of form and proportions both organic and man-made and how these historical collections have now become almost museums to a vast range of species.

Early botanical houses were created before accessible international travel. They served as transformative places, providing escapism to far away environments that many people would not have been able to experience. As time progressed, modern houses were created and the same tropical species now interacted with modern lines and materials. Even in this age of technology, entering a botanical house takes you to a new world.

I wanted to convey these amazing contained forms, the scale of the houses, the plants within and the sensory overwhelm you experience when walking into these glass houses. Looking at both historical design and modern lines. The layout of the series forms an enclosed house shape to reinforce that these are man-made environments, prospering outside of their natural environments due to modern engineering, planning and manual labour.

The series of 6 prints are available to purchase, £POA, Limited edition of 10, unframed. Various size options. Individual prints are available upon request and will be in the print shop soon. Email for sales info or head to The Print Shop

The series was shot at Kew Gardens and RHS Wisley.