Spring is definitely here and with it comes many things to do down at
Abbey Gardens, but one thing that can’t wait much longer is planting
potatoes. So, if you’re a fan of spuds and the warmer weather has you
wanting to get outside, come down and get involved. Onions, garlic and
shallots also need to go in so any help will be welcome. Hopefully see you
there! Hamish, your new Garden Club Leader.
Matilda Lee from The Ecologist wrote a short piece on Abbey Gardens What Will The Harvest Be? and the friends group. Click here to view the article
JOIN US FOR A TWO DAY WORKSHOP AT ABBEY GARDENS
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, 26 AND 27 OF MARCH 2010
HOSTED BY THE FRIENDS GROUP WITH SOMEWHERE AND PUBLIC WORKS.
The idea for the workshop is to brainstorm and develop new objects/items/goods that derive from the context of Abbey Gardens a collective urban food growing site. The brief is open and will be developed collectively and in reference to specific aspects of Abbey Gardens, such as collective gardening and harvesting, urban food production, social and historical aspects of the site, etc.
The aim for the two day workshop is to develop a brief for one or a number of new products, and if possible, to assemble first prototypes. The new items can be anything: from food or tools to plants or processes and of a real or digital nature.
The products may later be used at Abbey Gardens and distributed locally through the Abbey Gardens’ new honesty box and mobile stall. The honesty box, conceived as part of
What Will The Harvest Be? is part of a wider network of cultural trading activities and platforms called the International Village Shop, where the new products for Abbey Gardens can become part of a growing collection of locally informed and produced goods.
Programme:
Fri 26th March
10.00 Meeting at Abbey Gardens
Introduction of all participants and their different interests in being involved.
Mapping session of local resources/narratives/skills/appreciations/conflicts within Abbey Gardens and its proximity which could inform the new products.
13.00 Lunch at Abbey Gardens
14.00 – 17.00 Further mapping and group session brainstorming and sketching first ideas for a new
products.
19.00 Friday Session_39 – an informal discussion at public works studio, 1-5 Vyner Street, London E2 9DG
COMMUNAL/COLLECTIVE/COMMOM
GARDENS/LAND/INITIATIVES
With presentations by
Nina Pope from Somewhere on What Will the Harvest Be? at Abbey Gardens in Stratford
Celine Condorelli talking about commons and things in common
Cristina Cerutti about the Crokkes-Walkley Transition group in Sheffield
Nolwenn Marchand from aaa on Le 56 ECOintersice in Paris
Followed by discussion and food and drinks.
Sat 27th March
10.00 Production workshop at Abbey Gardens, aiming towards a brief and first prototypes for new products.
12.30 Informal lunch and internal presentation of workshop results.
13.30 Further sketching/prototyping/building
15.00 Tea and cakes followed by presenting results to the public
15.30 Discussion about the different values involved in making and trading the new product
within the context of the Abbey Gardens Honesty Box and the International Village Shop
16.30 Finish
Who Will Take Part?
The workshop is organised collaboratively by the Friends of Abbey Gardens, Somewhere and public works it takes place within the context of an EU cultural project called RHYZOM.
Members of Abbey Gardens are invited to join. To reserve a place for the workshop email us – mail@abbeygardens.org – or Contact Andreas on 07866566162 Please not that places are limited and reservation is needed.
PLEASE NOTE THAT SATURDAYS GARDEN CLUB SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AS USUAL FROM 10AM-3PM AND WILL RUN ALONGSIDE THE WORKSHOP
JOIN US FOR SOME WILDFLOWER SEED SOWING,
MEET AND WELCOME OUR NEW GARDEN CLUB LEADER &
HELP US PLANT THE NEW APPLE TREE
SATURDAY THE 20TH OF MARCH 2010
FROM 12.00 TO 16.00
AT ABBEY GARDENS
BAKERS ROW
E15 3NF
As part of Newham’s Plant for Life initiative we will seed a two meter wide strip of wildflowers along the street edge border of Abbey Gardens and officially kick off the 2010 gardening season. As well as helping with the wildflower seed sowing there will be other activities you can help out with like making scarecrows to keep the birds off our fresh grass seed.
We would also like to use this opportunity to warmly welcome Hamish Liddle our newly appointed Garden Club Leader.
From Tuesday the 16th onwards Hamish will run three weekly Garden Club Session at Abbey Gardens. Similar to last year the sessions are open to everyone who is interested to learn and participate in the garden. Just come along to any of the session and get your hands dirty. Garden Club Sessions are Saturdays 10am – 3pm, Tuesdays 1pm – 3pm, Thursdays 4pm – 7pm
Last but not least the new apple tree has arrived and we will plant it in place of the old apple tree which had to make way when the site was remediated last year. The new tree is a family apple tree which has three apple varieties grafted onto one stem – Worcester, Bramley and Cox.
Hamish on his first visit to Abbey Gardens as the official Garden Club Leader.
I met with Fiona and Louise from The Kitchen Garden project in Shoreditch. We spent an hour chatting in lovely spring sunshine. It was very interesting to see how a similar project is run in a different part of London.
Their web-site is very interesting:
https://sites.google.com/site/thegrassshootscollective/home
and they have made a film which you can see on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AKn0YPWEWo
