Druid Street Wildflower Meadow

by JAMES ALEC HARDY

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ARTIST: JAMES ALEC HARDY
TRACK: DRUID STREET WILDFLOWER MEADOW
LOCATION: DRUID STREET WILDFLOWER MEADOW

As part of the Southwark’s Biodiversity Action plan to make London Bridge one of the capital’s most ecologically diverse business districts, 300sqm of amenity grass and redundant flower beds was replaced with specialist wildflower turf and the area expanded.

Wildflower Meadow on Druid Street is now an urban open habitat of native grasses, wildflowers, and flowering plants. These attract insects and other invertebrates [often butterflies, bees, spiders and millipedes], birds and mammals. The flowering species add a changing palate of colour through the seasons, and in doing so, bring a little piece of countryside into the heart of the city.

In 2006 this land was converted from public highway into a pedestrian route – dividing Druid Street in two, and providing a new metropolitan meadow.

The wildflower planting was introduced by Team London Bridge in partnership with CJS Plants and Southwark Council in 2015.

BIOGRAPHY

The essence of James Alec Hardy’s work is a continually feeding-back process focused on the impact of technologies on our experience of contemporary life.

Since 2002, he has focused on analogue video systems, manifesting ideas through performance, audio, sculpture, installation and print; culminating in multi-screen totemic video monoliths, shamanic residencies in fields, site-specific installations at international Biennales, to 3 day-long live feedback performances at major cultural institutions.