Rebecca Beinart undertook a three month residency working in Sue Godfrey Nature Park, which culminated in a mobile sculpture Bureau of Urban Wilds.
Originally the site of the Parry's pottery works, when industry trades began to diminish in Deptford it was left as a wasteland, and only the ruins of a 17th century kiln remained as a reminder of its past. However, after a lengthy campaign by local residents, the site was established as the Sue Godfrey Nature Park in in 1984, opening the site back up to the public and wildlife alike. Since then the residents have since successfully fought off several attempts for redevelopment.
Drawing on the rich history of local activism, trade and green spaces in Deptford, Beinart hosted a series of medicine making workshops, walking tours and clay bottle making workshops over the summer months.
Alongside hands on activities, she also ran a series of shared meals and conversations which tapped into wider political issues surrounding urban ecology vs regeneration and migration. Guest speakers included artists Neville Gabie, Anchor & Magnet, Ecologist Nick Bertrand and Ecological Anthropologist Dr Anna Waldstein., and a broad range of people both local and from further afield participated in the events.
The residency culminated in the production of a mobile sculpture entitled The Bureau of Urban Wilds. Part medicine cabinet, part archive The Bureau offered a tangible and visually striking platform from which the various research strands and outputs of the residency where amalgamated and displayed as part of Depford X Festival 2013.
As a direct result of the residency, three local community gardens have initiated a co-operative whereby they share resources, knowledge and labour. In addition, the conversational events provided an arena in which independent groups, who are working to oppose aggressive redevelopment in the area, came together and discussed the issues as one body.
Secret Garden Project Lewisham was developed in partnership with Lewisham Council and by Arts Council England.
