Allotments have a rich history. What commenced in the mid-19th century as a safe space for children and youths , soon became a green oasis for the emerging industrial proletariat to escape the miserable conditions they were living and working in and to support their families with the crop they grow. Today, allotments are popular as never before, waiting lists have become even longer during the pandemic.
“Gardening Leave” is my exploration of the various roles allotments play in people’s lives today - gardening, community, recreation, sense of belonging, freedom - and understand today’s diverse world, condensed in a small universe. I am exploring allotments as places of inclusion and seclusion where people from different backgrounds - social, generational, original - come together, leave some of their backgrounds behind and form a transitional community in its own right.
