Nature Scenes are environments for wildlife that serve complementary roles for animals and humans. Each features a My Naturewatch wildlife camera to capture images of the animal visitors that will be publicly shared during the London Design Festival.

From an animal perspective the installations offer welcome, acting as shelters, feeding stations and watering points where various species can mingle. The DIY structures are built with natural materials that feel familiar to animals and can serve as shelters for some, and food for others.

From a human audience perspective, these spaces are small scale ‘sets’ or ‘still lifes’ which acknowledge that the natural world and the human world are intertwined. Natural materials are interspersed with touches of the human-made to emphasize the entanglement of people and other animals in urban settings such as Brompton.

The city is already home to many creatures beyond humans – from rats to peregrine falcons, foxes to mice, native plants to nematodes. The first step towards welcoming them is to be sensitive to the fact that they’re already here.

Nature Scenes is part of Brompton Biotopia, commissioned by Brompton Design District for London Design Festival 2019. Curated by Jane Withers Studio.

The Hour Glass Pub

Coinciding with the Nature Scenes installation in Alexander Square gardens the Interaction Research Studio have created a wildlife themed occupation of the Hour Glass Pub - reinterpreting pub paraphernalia with an animal twist.

As a role reversal of humans intruding on the habitats of animals, here we experience animals mooching and mingling with humans in our own natural settings. Local footage of wildlife, taken in the adjacent gardens, is broadcast on the Pub TV. Above the bar a diorama of birds, squirrels and foxes dwell amongst DIY MyNaturewatch Cameras, whilst beer mats and leaflets show how to build your own camera.

In a project that celebrates animals relaxing, eating and drinking in comfortable surroundings, the Hour Glass Pub intervention acknowledges that we humans are not so different after all.

The White Post Gallery

Nature Scenes will also be taking over the White Post Gallery, a pillar on Thurloe Street, with one smaller intervention for a duration beyond London Design Festival 2019.