Urban Greening - Alicia Breakspear

By combining a pop of embroidered colour in these monochrome photographs, Alicia Breakspear explores concepts envisioning a future where the natural world is considered intrinsic in city life. The stark contrast between London’s cold, concrete jungle and the vibrant, joyful greenery reminds us how different these worlds are - yet bringing them together is vital.

Urban Greening - Alicia Breakspear. 2020.

Having studied on BA Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University, Alicia has developed a deep connection to the natural world through the eyes of conserving it. Her work encompasses a combination of mediums which aim to communicate not only the environmental problems we face but what we can do about it. 

Urban Greening explores the relationship between brutalist architecture and urban agriculture, outlining how we can incorporate sustainable food growth into pre-existing infrastructure within London. Through a series of eight embroidered photographs, Urban Greening envisions a futuristic city. Focusing on growing our own local food, sequestering carbon, boosting biodiversity and improving community well-being.

Alicia Breakspear. 2020.

Nature has been embroidered onto monolithic, blocky and geometric architecture and as a result, the brutality of these buildings is lifted by nature’s natural shades. The post-war modernism, beton brut (raw concrete) theme displays the smooth, clean and minimalist qualities it holds, providing the perfect backdrop for vegetated walls.

The delicate stitches of muted earth tones contrast to the monochromatic features of brutalism. Each piece has been allocated a specific edible species and within that, an appropriate colour palette. Urban Greening raises the question of not only growing your own vegetables, it educates us about foraging and edible flowers. Wisteria, Passionflower, Honeysuckle and Nasturtiums all hold edible qualities and feature within this work.

Urban Greening - Alicia Breakspear. 2020.

This work highlights not only the potential for sustainable food growth, but also, the necessary change humanity needs to make considering the urban environment. As population numbers grow, and with it the demand for food, solutions to cope with the increase need to be enforced. We need to rekindle our relationship with the natural world, especially within urban areas where limited green space exists. Creativity with food production can reintroduce the connection whilst educating people about self-sufficiency when it comes to food growth. Urban Greening questions the norm and pushes the boundaries of conventional living’s walls.

View more of Alicia’s work below!