Fungus Press Residency: ‘Trapped Heat, Blocked Magic’, Natasha Moody

“Amongst the towering buildings, hot tarmac and clamorous traffic, two Croydon parks, Wandle and Park Hill, provide a temporary respite from the demands of sprawling city.

During my residency with Fungus Press I have been getting to know the plants in these spaces and digging into the history of land use in the area.

From crooked crocus valleys and pagan burial grounds to protected sites of recreation, a closer look at the current state of these parks and living matter within them calls forth several questions about our relationship with the land in 2021.

What power lies in naming the plants growing in the parks?
What stories do we project into these spaces?
And how can we cultivate close collaboration with each other and the land in these spaces designated for recreation?

I hope that by sharing stories we will attempt to answer these questions together.”

Reeves Corner: ‘Let our mother’s wisdom nourish (Common Mallow, Ladies Bedstraw, Common Pear)’
Wandle Park Community Garden: ‘Ancestor Carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace)’
Wandle Park Pond: ‘Let light shine through your pores (St John’s Wort, Queen Anne’s Lace)’
Park Hill Park Walled Garden: ‘Gather Gently (Golden Rod)’

Find the artworks from 25th August at the sites at the Google map below (until then, you can check out the previous commission by Derica Shields!). Click here for a printable PDF Map of the locations.

About Fungus Press

As concerns grow regarding the privatisation of public spaces across London, and elsewhere, Fungus Press invites artists, designers & writers to respond to Croydon’s public spaces through a series of newly commissioned billboard artworks.

Sites include; Wandle Park’s community garden and pond; Park Hill Park’s walled garden; and Reeves Corner. The programme of artworks is usually complimented by other works, such as events, texts, walking tours and audio guides.

The text-based posters aim to discuss and celebrate the importance and potential of Croydon’s public spaces, offering alternative ways to navigate the area; both geographically and temporally. They speak of Croydon’s untold past and its yet to be written future; reasserting the essential role that green spaces play throughout civic life: from articulating our sense of place, to encouraging democratic engagement.

View previous Fungus Press Residencies here.