Making connections at Sufra’s Summer Garden Party

On Saturday 29th July, Sufra welcomed the community to its Summer Garden Party. It was a gathering brimming with energy and enthusiasm. Sufra kindly invited Sean Roy Parker and the Metroland Cultures team to chat to people about our new With Us All community commission.

We will be building a bright and welcoming glasshouse at St Raph’s Edible Garden, made of reclaimed windows and waste wood. 

Our stall at the party was on the plot where the glasshouse will be, complete with a sign hand-painted by Roy. We had the privilege of connecting with and speaking to lots of visitors. Everyone was curious to know more about the project.

We explained its aims: to encourage garden-goers to closely explore non-human life such as birds, plants and even microbes in the compost. The glasshouse will also provide a place for calm and retreat. 

Materials needed!

A focal point of our stall was the materials list for the glasshouse. This includes specific tools required for listening, looking and recording plant and wildlife observations. The list sparked interest and generated discussions among guests.

Families, children and seniors mingled in the garden. They asked lots of questions and were keen to get involved. We shared information and stories, while also gathering suggestions for sourcing building materials from local businesses, shops and refuse centres. 

We also explained the purpose of the handcrafted tokens that we’d brought along.

The idea behind these is that people will bring bits and bobs from the materials list that they might have lying around, into Sufra’s office. In exchange for these items – such as binoculars, empty jars or even periscopes – they will be given a wooden token made by Roy. This can then be exchanged for fresh produce after the harvest. People really liked this idea, as it showed a tangible way that they could contribute to the project.

Check out our materials list below, to see if there is anything you can offer. We really appreciate your preloved items! 

Upcoming workshops

Finally, we described our upcoming free workshops which are happening as part of the commission:

• 26th Aug 12-2pm – Observing / Writing with Priya Jay – Sharing texts about nature, using instructional language and inventing prompts for exploring relationships with nonhuman neighbours. 
• 23rd Sept 12-2pm – Tasting / Healing with Rights for Weeds – Identifying wild plants and foraging herbs from the garden with medicinal properties. We will make teas, snacks and skin balms.
• 25 – 27th Oct (Time TBC) – Building / Fixing – using leftover materials, we will safely use hand tools and power tools to help construct the glass house on site. 

Join us at St. Raph’s Edible Garden to be part of the creation of the With Us All commission!

Thanks

It was a special day marked by joy, enthusiasm and the warmth of community, as well as music and delicious food and drinks. We won’t forget those Za’atar flatbreads and lovely herbal teas!

We want to say a big thanks to all those who attended, expressed interest, and had a chat with us. Thanks also to the Sufra team for inviting us and putting on a fantastic event. Ater chatting with everyone at the Garden Party, we’re more excited than ever to build the glasshouse and create an exciting artwork for the garden and its visitors. 

Materials list:

Empty jars and lids

Binoculars

Magnifying glasses

Loupe

Digital camera

Rolodex

Flower press

Headphones 

Dictaphones

Contact microphones

Microscope 

Telescope

Periscope

Stethoscope

Pipette

Small paint brushes

Tweezers

pH Test/Litmus paper

Cotton 

Muslin

How to drop things off

Materials can be dropped off at Sufra’s headquarters at 160 Pitfield Way, London NW10 0PW. Drop them in to the office during opening hours – just let them know what you’ve brought is for With Us All!

Sufra website