The Wilding Bramble

Over the summer of 2026 I have been part of a group of 23 artists working with Artillery Arts in Waltham Forest, exploring the river Ching.  The project gave us all the opportunity to work closely with each other, community groups and environmental experts, and each other to research and investigate aspects of the river’s ecology.

It has been a record breaking summer for both heat and lack of rain. The river we encountered at the source in Epping Forest in June has disappeared for close to a mile by mid-July as an exceptional drought was experienced across the country. The work to create connection with the river and the natural world at the edge of our urban environment felt increasingly important and urgent.

From the outset of the project I was drawn to the blackberry plant and wanted to record its own role as a rewilder and pioneer species often marking the boundary between human dominated spaces and the wild.  Through a stitched map, exhibited like a book in Hale End Library throughout September, and an accompanying zine I aimed to create an invitation for  people to  experience connection and a sense of belonging to this landscape on an equal footing with other lifeforms.

Exhibition details

Artists Field Notes: Wildways along the Ching

Meet the Artists: Friday 4 September, 4–7pm
Hale End Library, Castle Avenue, Highams Park, E4 9QD

Exhibition Open
4 September – 5 October
Tue, Wed, Fri: 10am–6pm | Sat: 10am–4pm

See website for artist events & workshops: www.artillery.org.uk/wildways

Wildways along the Ching is a project run by Waltham Forest Council with local partners and is funded by the Mayor of London Green Roots Fund.