Chiswick House announces Arts Council England funding for new Kitchen Garden art projects

We are delighted to have secured generous Arts Council Funding for two important new creative projects, exploring food and its links to our culture, wellbeing, identities, and community.?

?Launching later this summer, these projects will enhance and complement our existing programme of creative engagement and collaboration with our local community, including the ongoing Black Chiswick though History programme.

The projects encompass:

1 – Flower Feast: Kitchen Garden Trail ?

Designed by artist and storyteller Jaixia Blue, Flower Feast will be a sensory, nature-centric garden trail and map. The trail will encourage visitors to get in touch with the idea that the food we grow and enjoy, as well as the act of eating itself, is an integral part of the natural world.?

Children and adults will be able to engage with insect life in the garden by creating ‘Flower Feasts’ for various species, learning about the importance of pollinators and promoting biodiversity when it comes to food production.??

Alongside encouraging children to discover the garden’s resident insects, the project will focus on sensory immersion and mental wellbeing, helping participants connect with the sounds and smells of the garden.?

Jaixia’s previous work has encompassed textile, music, film and poetry mediums, and explores themes surrounding her dual British and Caribbean heritage.??

Speaking about the project, Jaixia says:?

“I am delighted to be designing this year’s creative garden trail kit and map for Chiswick House & Garden Trust. The trail explores the idea of food in a broader sense, drawing on the circle of life in the garden. The aim is to encourage visitors to be mindful, engaging all 5 senses through observing the nature around them, as well as encouraging creative learning surrounding the garden’s rich biodiversity; shifting how we view insects and flora and their roles in our ecosystem.”?

2 – Harvesting Connection: A co-designed, co-constructed long table, built and decorated by participants from local community groups and members of the public and positioned within the garden itself?

Born in Chiswick, London-based artist Ayesha Weekes has been working with CHGT on the ongoing Black Chiswick through History programme since 2021. Supported by English Heritage’s Shout Out Loud, Black Chiswick through History aims to foreground diverse stories from the history of the House and Gardens and offer a fresh perspective on these.?

For her new project, titled Harvesting Connection: A Communal Table, Ayesha is focusing on the creation of a Kitchen Garden long table, constructed through reclaimed, environmentally-friendly materials, and decorated with handcrafted ceramics.?

The aim is to create a striking yet functional piece that will spark community engagement, and embody themes of nourishment, unity and togetherness.?

“In collaboration with Kitchen Gardeners and community partners, this table will reflect our connections to food through reclaimed materials and ceramics,” says Ayesha.?

More than just furniture, this table will celebrate the Kitchen Garden and be a gathering point to explore, learn and share food and our food stories, symbolising community, unity, sustainability, and the rich tapestry of stories woven through our shared love of food.”?

Food and the Kitchen Garden

In the Chiswick House Kitchen Garden, we produce food in a way that is sustainable and environmentally friendly, working with local volunteers to ensure that half of everything we grow is donated back to our local community.

Conversations surrounding food production, and how to redefine our relationship with it, are integral to everything we do – and we are excited to be working with Jaixia and Ayesha on these new projects, and seeing their creative visions come to life.

?The Kitchen Garden Trail will launch on Friday August 2.??

The Long Table final construction day and launch is on Friday August 16, and a celebration event, open to all, will take place on September 1.??

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