The Last of Us

Blackboard Paint & Chalk on Wooden Board, 2018

Curated by arts collective Shrinking Space, who have worked with the likes of Somerset House and the Barbican, 'The Wonder Project' encompassed specially commissioned soundscapes, sculptures, and artworks from a roster of esteemed UK artists and creative studios. In partnership with Shrinking Space and Kew, Wakehurst, site-specific works were developed inspired by archival research and the expansive project Relic Traveller. 

Embedded across the wild botanical grounds were four text-based black sculptural elements entitled The Last of Us. Meandering through the meadows and glades, guests were invited to interact with these temporary installations in the heart of the West Sussex woods. 

Accompanying the sculptures was a haunting prose And Yet We Grow written by the artist and edited by writer Aida Amoako. This referenced colonial histories and their relationship with the Anthropocene, migratory narratives, the flourishing and decay of diasporic and indigenous bodies, and the preservation of knowledge. Printed onto paper containing the seeds of traditional British wildflowers, the intimacy of the handheld words complemented the boldness of the handwritten chalk testimonies. Both texts when exposed to the elements became part of the physical and emotional landscape.

© Photos by Joe Sarah & Jim Holden