Output details

Visualising urban agriculture: the urban agriculture curtain (prototype)

In 2009 The Building Centre, London, commissioned Bohn to develop a fully functioning food-growing prototype for the Centre's exhibition, ‘London Yields: Urban Agriculture’. The premise underlying the show was a shift from cities as consumers of food to generators of agricultural products. Titled ‘The Urban Agriculture Curtain’, Bohn’s prototype was the only commissioned exhibit. It resulted from her research collaboration with Viljoen on the design of an indoor hydroponic installation producing a rotating crop of salads, herbs and vegetables, and was built in collaboration with Hadlow Agricultural College, which also provided expert consultancy.

To underpin the project, Bohn investigated the ways in which urban agriculture’s spatial consequences for urban design and architecture might be most effectively visualised in order to reach larger and lay audiences worldwide. The Urban Agriculture Curtain built on her earlier research into the relationships of architectural and artistic practices for the urban agricultural discourse as part of the 2005–6 ‘Utilitarian Dreams’ project (funded by the British Council, Gasworks, Triangle Arts Trust and the University of Brighton).

‘The Urban Agriculture Curtain’ led to a commission from Sustain (a UK-based, internationally recognised charity campaigning for better food and farming) to contribute ‘hydroponic balconies’ to its Capital Growth ‘Edible Spaces’ project at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (2009). This project was also concerned with intensive food growing in small urban spaces without access to soil, along with the need for high yields and minimal gardening time. ‘Edible Spaces’ was seen by 160,000 visitors and was the topic of a BBC broadcast. Since 2009 ‘The Urban Agriculture Curtain’ has been included in the international travelling exhibition and online resource, ‘Carrot City: Creating Places for Urban Agriculture’, and has been shown in many countries including Canada, USA, France, Germany, UK, Morocco, France, The Netherlands and Portugal. SEE DIGITAL OUTPUT.