Algae Meadow

Part of the South Kensington Green trail, this installation by Seyi Adelekun and Wayward explores how we can care for and enhance biodiversity in an urban setting through careful use of local resources, material and plant ecologies. Algae Meadow highlights the important ecosystem between land, water and people via a productive algae factory of plant workers, exploring the role of algae and cyanobacteria as a nutrient-dense biofertilizer for plants and people. The meadow is formed from a series of woven algae filled arches reminiscent of the architecture of Exhibition Road, allowing visitors to explore the relationship between pollinators, people, place and plants. The installation is constructed from local, responsibly sourced and recycled material and is a community build project giving opportunities to London based students and volunteers from the Black Females in Architecture network.

This summer, South Kensington is coming alive with a new outdoor green trail which will bring art and science bursting out onto the street. Architects, artists and garden designers create pop-up nature hubs which are buzzing with new ideas and inspiring visions for a greener future outside the museums and attractions in London’s cultural district. Self-led activities encourage you to take a closer look and explore architecture inspired by insects, plants with healing properties, unexpected ways to grow and imaginative ideas for upcycling materials.

Seyi Adelekun says, “To design a project that celebrates the bountiful ecology of local organisms is a unique opportunity to nurture a better relationship with our environment. Working in collaboration with scientists, we have developed a biophilic landscape of production, cultivation and biomaterial for people to immerse themselves in.”

Wayward says, “A collaboration of this nature, where science, art and culture and education converge to form a cycle of discovery, is an exciting exchange to be a part of, and provides a rare opportunity to tell engaging stories that inspire people to build a more verdant future.”

V&A in collaboration with Discover South Kensington and London Festival of Architecture, supported by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

Part of London Festival of Architecture at the V&A

For more information on the South Kensington Green Trail: https://www.discoversouthken.com/itinerary/south-ken-green-trail/