I joined the Art group in the morning of our second day in London to explore. The professor, Lori, had planned on taking us to a nearby market that was only open on Saturdays. This was an optional thing to do, but I figured why not? I wanted to make the most of the time I had in London.
We were walking around and sort of wandering, but in the general direction of the market. We stopped to look at different buildings and Lori explained the history of the architecture and the time period it was from. It was so fascinating to listen to her talk about the design and to take time to actually stop and look at the little details that we would have otherwise ignored. After this day, and the trip to London in general, I am convinced she is a walking encyclopedia. Being a graphic design student, I found the information Lori was telling us super interesting and quickly realized I was happy I joined them.
As if that did not make the trip worth it enough, we stumbled upon the Nomadic Community Gardens and I absolutely… fell… in…LOVE! I have always been so into the aesthetic of street art and graffiti and this place was full of it. Every inch screamed creativity and self-expression. Where ever you looked was a new piece of art with a different meaning. I could have spent the entire day analyzing all the different works of art from different people and being inspired by the beauty of it all.
The graffiti wasn’t the only thing that made the space so interesting, also the collection of different objects in the space, the people that made it, and most importantly the reasons behind it. People made this space a garden, but by doing so they made a space to create a sense of community. A space where people of all different backgrounds can come grow food and just be together. It is a nomadic garden because everything in the garden can be moved, it is not permanent. They had a library of books that people are allowed to add to or take from at their leisure. They also host events at this place and again, allow people to gather as a community and support this idea.
I did a little research on the Nomadic Community Garden after visiting. It was very inspiring to see what they were doing, how they got to where they are, and I think we should have more places and people like this in the world.
Here is a ling to their website if you want to check it out and read more: