UK's largest outdoor art installation to open at Wakehurst
Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, will soon be home to one of the UK’s largest outdoor art installations. Commissioned to wrap the Elizabethan Mansion, currently undergoing an extensive roof restoration, Planet Wakehurst is a bespoke photo montage from Australian-born artist Catherine Nelson. Using photography of plants from across the 535-acre site captured in summer 2022, the dazzling installation is a celebration of Wakehurst’s biodiversity, from the colourful blooms of the abundant Water Gardens to the towering Giant Redwoods of California in Horsebridge Wood.
Measuring over 1550m2 Nelson’s UK premiere installation will form the equivalent of 25 double decker buses, wrapping around three sides of the Mansion. Nelson spent many hot summer days in 2022 documenting the vast site and, over the course of six months, used the hundreds of photographs captured to create the immense digital collage.
Visitors will have the chance to see beautiful species magnified in exceptional detail, offering new perspectives on the flora which makes Wakehurst so special. There will also be a new viewing platform 33ft high, which will provide visitors with a phenomenal outlook across Wakehurst’s wild landscape and the South Downs beyond.
Planet Wakehurst: Opens Wednesday 17 May 2023
Further Information: Wakehurst | Kew