Wakehurst opens summer exhibition that combines art, science and nature

‘Nourish’ allows visitors to discover the future of plants and food as you encounter five striking new installations that pose timely questions about the point where science, art and nature meet.

The exhibition includes The False Banana Pavilion which takes inspiration from traditional huts found in Ethiopia.

John Grade’s bespoke 24-foot high sculpture suspended across Wakehurst’s Westwood Valley that will rise and fall in response to rainfall. ‘Isla’ is made of 4,000 individual resin pieces and takes inspiration from Kew’s research into the high-altitude ecosystem in the Colombian Andes called the Páramo.

A multidisciplinary audio-visual by artist Augustine Leudar’s transports visitors to the forests of Mexico through an immersive recording of the birds, insects and animals native to Mexico.

Nourish: After Hours sees the gardens and installations come alive with captivating live performances, botanical cocktails and open-air cooking with food inspired by the countries in which the Kew scientists are undertaking research, including plant-based Mexican street food, the Georgian speciality of pkhali, and Colombian empanadas.

This evening event will be held on Thursday to Sunday, August 11-14, and Thursday to Sunday, August 18-21.

Between Monday and Wednesday, August 22-24, visitors can experience the jungles of Ethiopia, with campfire cooking and a lion-themed craft. For children aged six years and above.

For children aged one to five, join Music Mike for an interactive musical adventure, in a secluded woodland space, from Monday to Thursday, August 15-18.

Visit the website for more details.