Fracture and Light: An Invitation to the Great Pavilion - RHS Chelsea 2026
While the show gardens of Main Avenue command the skyline, the Pavilion is the horticultural heart of RHS Chelsea a place of absolute botanical excellence and intimate artistry.
This year, I am honoured to have been invited by the renowned multi award winning shade specialists at Moore & Moore Plants to debut a work that explores a deeply personal side of the human experience, Accretion The beauty of a gathered life.
A study of beauty in defiance. Accretion challenges the traditional boundaries of garden art, presenting a core that is not a solid block broken by time, but a singular body built from it.
Formed of tectonic like plates drifting and pulling together, the work reflects the deeply personal process of gathering experiences, lessons and scars. It serves as a structural anchor, a beacon of resilience, where the corrosion of a gathered life is not a flaw, but the very texture of our identity and beauty.
The opportunity to work with Moore & Moore allowed me to push my creative process further. It began with the primitive, tactile feel of hands on clay modelling, which then evolved through complex 3D scanning and modelling and algorithmic design. I use digital tools to find the glitch, that specific, beautiful imperfection, serendipitous event or a mathematical difference that makes a piece feel alive rather than manufactured.
The structural integrity is a testament to the marriage of digital innovation and traditional heavy duty fabrication. Entirely handmade, the sculpture is constructed from 4mm phosphor bronze sheet, a material specifically chosen for its superior strength and rich, enduring tonal and patina qualities.
The process began with a digital model, every component part was first 3D printed to create a physical prototype, from which precise templates were extracted. This rigorous preparation ensured that each tectonic plate was cut and dished by hand, shaped with absolute accuracy before the formal welding began.
This commitment to permanence extends beneath the surface, the bronze skin on the base is supported by a robust internal stainless steel framework and secured with stainless steel fixings for installation.
Through this sculpture, I am searching for beauty in difference and in turn hopefully create a structural shelter for some of the world’s most exquisite shade loving plants. The Great Pavilion provides the perfect environment for this, nestled among the lush, architectural foliage of the Moore & Moore stand, the sculpture will act as a beacon in a supporting role to nature’s beautiful creations.
The rich blue copper patina finish pulls from the cool tones of the plants, while the polished golden edges catch the light of the marquee, inviting viewers to look closer at the beauty held within the breaks.
