For our main installation OpenAREA commissioned artist @elliot_fox for a new sculptural work that responds directly to the reserve’s ecosystem. Incorporating found materials and references to ecological processes, the piece positions the site as both collaborator and stage, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own presence within a living system.
“The sculpture I am creating for OpenArea involves a floor-based kinetic work with integrated meteorological and decibel monitoring systems. In doing so I feel the work could attempt to highlight the connection between the local environment and the effect that these elements have on behaviour and how culture is developed in specific areas. I like the idea that through the decibel monitoring system that the work is referencing the event itself whilst also displaying moments of synergy between ourselves and the natural world which OpenArea intends to explore and celebrate.” Eliot Fox, 2025.
I’m fascinated by the role architecture plays in nature, both influencing each other in this constant exchange. For the launch of OpenAREA at Camley Street Nature Reserve I knew structure needed to play an important role to appeal to new audiences. Consider sculpture parks, when art installations and structures are introduced to open spaces it immediately invites the viewer to consider that environment through a new lens.
This philosophy informed our approach to the Viewfinder stage we designed with architect Daryan Knoblauch @daryanknoblauch which physically framed fragments of the landscape, transforming the act of looking into an encounter with nature itself. Built entirely from borrowed materials from local building sites, assembled by hand without adhesives, and later returned to active use on the sites they came from, the structure embodied a circular, low-impact approach while encouraging reflection on how we perceive the natural world. In London we can pass by a tree 1000’s of times without ever really stopping to look at it, and this stage served to help highlight that disconnect.
The stage was brought to life by @all_terrain_training@foundation.fm@cobysey@roxannetataei
Artist @chairlieboy brought his imaginative @makeplaymakeplay designs to OpenAREA 2025. A new perspective on how materials can be used to tell a story.
“I believe that play is a mindset not a medium, and through experiences and materials from the outdoors, I bring imaginary objects into the physical.”
Looking back at our zine workshop with @canonuk at Camley Street Nature Reserve.
Guests from the OpenAREA community discovered the shared space with cameras in hand, capturing hidden details and quiet moments. Back in the workshop, participants printed, layered, and collaged their images, transforming them into personal zines that became a tangible record of imagination and curiosity.
Between the new offices and canal boats, a secret jungle hums. Camley Street’s flora and fauna remind us that even in the city’s rush, nature is quietly doing its thing.
OpenAREA + Camley Street = a vision of our SHARED SPACE.
📸 - @sandra_nagel
We enjoyed our design experiments by @joelsp_ using surplus material. Joel led the group through a bag making workshop where material exploration met optimism and inspiration.
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Collaborative workshop with artist @chairlieboy and designer @crematelondon where attendees created their own incense holder from natural materials.
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