Residency at Northcote Nature Reserve and River Crane

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For the past two years, I have been working on a residency at Northcote Nature Reserve and the tidal section of the River Crane, in collaboration with the nature reserve's architect and designer, Astronaut Kawada Architecture and Habitat. It is part of an ongoing ecology and community project of habitat enhancement and urban intervention that is unique not just locally but nationally.

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The River Crane is a tributary of the River Thames that is designated a Site of Metropolitan Importance for its biodiversity and unique tidal habitat. It is 13km in length and runs from north of Heathrow, through Twickenham, to the Thames in Isleworth.  The tidal section runs between the Thames and Northcote Nature Reserve (less than a mile).

 

Northcote Nature Reserve was formerly a neglected recreation ground, sometimes known as Pit Park. Due to the efforts of local residents and under the lead design of Astronaut Kawada, the park has been transformed into a tranquil escape from urban living providing a nature reserve and sanctuary for wildlife. Working together with London Borough of Hounslow, the construction work was completed last year and the reserve was opened to the public in the summer of 2024.

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A selection of the work will soon be presented at the design studio of Astronaut Kawada. The collaboration with the architect/designers is part of an evolving and diverse series of integrated work and collaborative discourse, steered by Astronaut Kawada, that looks to question the balance of influence, awareness and potential within the habitats that we share.

 

A broader exhibition of work from the residency, including drawings, paintings, sculpture, audio and video will later be shown at Time & Tide, One Paved Court, London in September, 2025, together with a charcoal drawing workshop and artist's talk.

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Writing my process

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On my first visit to the river, I accumulated a myriad of photographs and notes and decided a blog would enable me to reflect on my journey and better organise my thoughts and processes. It would present the development, approach and evolution of my work over the duration, and show the river and nature reserve from the perspective of an ongoing art project. By documenting my progress, I aim for this narrative to become part of the work, presenting a new perspective on this ongoing ecological initiative and inviting new audiences and dialogue.

 

 

Click here to visit my blog: Waders and Sketchbook

For more about Northcote Nature Reserve click here: Friends of Northcote Nature Reserve 

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