Chris Hoare - Growing Spaces

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1.

Last light, Ashley Vale.

2.

Black Eyed Susan (Goldsturm), Southmead.

5.

New allotment owner watering his plants, Speedwell.

7.

Onions lay out to dry in a polytunnel at Knowle West Community Garden. The garden was shut to the public during the pandemic but the food grown there was distributed to families in need.

8.

Tara gets stuck into gardening at St Paul’s Community Garden, with the help of her three daughters, Ashti, Arianne and Astera.

10.

A pack of Budweiser keeps cool in a pond on a hot Saturday afternoon in late spring, Ashley Vale.

11.

John, whose nickname is “Chicken”, sits on a stump at his allotment, Ashley Vale.

13.

Covered up water tanks, Thingwell Park.

14.

Manu laying the foundations for his shed, Ashley Vale.

15.

16.

18.

19.

21.

23.

Tim lights a cigarette in between tending to his allotment, Royate Hill.

24.

Romani wagon, Thingwell Park.

25.

Young family watching apple pressing, Royate Hill.

26.

View over Royate Hill Allotments, taken in June.

28.

Abandoned shed, Bedminster.

31.

Mike Feingold in his greenhouse early May. Mikeis well known within the Bristol growing community, particularly because of the role he has played in promoting the philosophy of Permaculture. Alongside this he is the rep of an allotment site with an orchard containing 50 different varieties of apple, Royate Hill.

32.

33.

Plot 247B, Thingwell.

Sunset roses, Speedwell.

Webster seen tending to his plot which he inherited from his father 40 years ago. The shed was built by his father and remains much the same as when he took it over. “Webster’s the name, gardening’s the game”, Thingwell Park.

Members of Patchwork Community Gardening Group picking raspberries during a meet up, Bedminster.

Chicken and Rachel in their polytunnel, Ashley Vale.

37.

Joyce shows some of the beans that she has grown, Thingwell Park.

39.

74

Dr Shawn Sobers works his allotment on a late spring evening. Having only acquired this plot the previous autumn, he’s used lockdown to educate himself on the toils of growing and enjoy his newfound love of gardening, Dubbers Lane.

35.

38.

Sebbie and Sophia climb a tree on their parents’ allotment. The plot has been invaluable during lockdown for the family as they live in an apartment with no access to a garden, Redland.

Former Lord Mayor of Bristol, Faruk Choudhury, painting bollards which wrap around a neglected piece of land next to the residential housing block where he and his family live. With the help of his community, the piece of land has flourished into a highly productive garden, Hotwells.

Sam cuts the hedges of a public footpath that cuts through two allotment sites, Ashley Vale.

Plum, Bridge Farm.

40.

41.

Sam creates a sign thanking NHS workers that he later puts along a public path. During the pandemic Sam used the resources of the restaurant he owns to help provide meals for NHS workers. Although he doesn’t technically have an allotment himself, Sam has pitched in and cultivated a number of dead patches of land which would have otherwise gone unloved this growing season, Ashley Vale.

Lexi shield’s her eyes during the apple pressing at the Totterdown Community Orchard.

43.

Mike clutches one of his Great Mullein plants, Royate Hill.

44.

Artichokes, Ashley Vale.

45.

A goat peers out of a caravan which it uses as shelter. The goat is owned by Street Goat, an organisation set up to sustainably manage areas of land so that they can be valuable wildlife spaces. The goats work the land by eating the shrubs and nettles.

47.

Emmanuel harvests his potatoes in his back garden which backs on to the St Pauls Community Garden.

48.

Joe has utilised the space on his allotment to create a shed which doubles up as an art studio.

Alongside tending to his own allotment, he is also regularly on hand to help some of the elderly allotment plot holders, particularly throughout lockdown.

49.

Shed taken over by nature, Ashley Vale.

50.

Artur waters his plants during the last light on a beautiful summer evening, Speedwell.

52.

View over Royate Hill Allotments, taken late October.

75

55.

Despite being in his 80’s, Monteith who’s originally from Ireland still rides his bike to the allotments. He goes most days to keep on top of his two plots and always brings the vegetables home to his wife, Thingwell Park.

56.

Late flowers collide with autumn leaves, Thingwell Park.

57.

Winter squashes, Thingwell Park.

58.

Tina on Bonfire Night. It’s a night that signifies for many the end of the growing season. This year has been a particularly difficult year for Tina, as she lost her husband in March due to him contracting Covid-19 in hospital just after coming home from Jamaica, Thingwell Park.

60.

The back of Chicken and Rachel’s shed. The structure sits in the centre of their plot and is the focal point of the allotment. It’s where they spend much of their time and is a sociable space that friends enjoy too, Ashley Vale.

63.

Abundant crab apples, Ashley Vale.

65.

Webster believes that in life there’s always “two sides of the same coin”. He talks in depth about what it was like to arrive in England from Jamaica, Thingwell Park.

66.

Callaloo plant - type of Caribbean spinach burns in fire, Thingwell Park.

67.

Building materials, Thingwell Park.

68.

Frosty pumpkins, Ashley Vale.

70.

Frosty morning, Ashley Vale.

73.

Tina throws the last of the wood onto the flames, before leaving the allotment on Bonfire Night, Thingwell Park.

77.

Dying sunflower, Thingwell Park.

1.

Last light, Ashley Vale.

2.

Black Eyed Susan (Goldsturm), Southmead.

5.

New allotment owner watering his plants, Speedwell.

7.

Onions lay out to dry in a polytunnel at Knowle West Community Garden. The garden was shut to the public during the pandemic but the food grown there was distributed to families in need.

8.

Tara gets stuck into gardening at St Paul’s Community Garden, with the help of her three daughters, Ashti, Arianne and Astera.

10.

A pack of Budweiser keeps cool in a pond on a hot Saturday afternoon in late spring, Ashley Vale.

11.

John, whose nickname is “Chicken”, sits on a stump at his allotment, Ashley Vale.

13.

Covered up water tanks, Thingwell Park.

14.

Manu laying the foundations for his shed, Ashley Vale.

15.

16.

18.

19.

21.

23.

Tim lights a cigarette in between tending to his allotment, Royate Hill.

24.

Romani wagon, Thingwell Park.

25.

Young family watching apple pressing, Royate Hill.

26.

View over Royate Hill Allotments, taken in June.

28.

Abandoned shed, Bedminster.

31.

Mike Feingold in his greenhouse early May. Mikeis well known within the Bristol growing community, particularly because of the role he has played in promoting the philosophy of Permaculture. Alongside this he is the rep of an allotment site with an orchard containing 50 different varieties of apple, Royate Hill.

32.

33.

Plot 247B, Thingwell.

Sunset roses, Speedwell.

Webster seen tending to his plot which he inherited from his father 40 years ago. The shed was built by his father and remains much the same as when he took it over. “Webster’s the name, gardening’s the game”, Thingwell Park.

Members of Patchwork Community Gardening Group picking raspberries during a meet up, Bedminster.

Chicken and Rachel in their polytunnel, Ashley Vale.

37.

Joyce shows some of the beans that she has grown, Thingwell Park.

39.

74

Dr Shawn Sobers works his allotment on a late spring evening. Having only acquired this plot the previous autumn, he’s used lockdown to educate himself on the toils of growing and enjoy his newfound love of gardening, Dubbers Lane.

35.

38.

Sebbie and Sophia climb a tree on their parents’ allotment. The plot has been invaluable during lockdown for the family as they live in an apartment with no access to a garden, Redland.

Former Lord Mayor of Bristol, Faruk Choudhury, painting bollards which wrap around a neglected piece of land next to the residential housing block where he and his family live. With the help of his community, the piece of land has flourished into a highly productive garden, Hotwells.

Sam cuts the hedges of a public footpath that cuts through two allotment sites, Ashley Vale.

Plum, Bridge Farm.

40.

41.

Sam creates a sign thanking NHS workers that he later puts along a public path. During the pandemic Sam used the resources of the restaurant he owns to help provide meals for NHS workers. Although he doesn’t technically have an allotment himself, Sam has pitched in and cultivated a number of dead patches of land which would have otherwise gone unloved this growing season, Ashley Vale.

Lexi shield’s her eyes during the apple pressing at the Totterdown Community Orchard.

43.

Mike clutches one of his Great Mullein plants, Royate Hill.

44.

Artichokes, Ashley Vale.

45.

A goat peers out of a caravan which it uses as shelter. The goat is owned by Street Goat, an organisation set up to sustainably manage areas of land so that they can be valuable wildlife spaces. The goats work the land by eating the shrubs and nettles.

47.

Emmanuel harvests his potatoes in his back garden which backs on to the St Pauls Community Garden.

48.

Joe has utilised the space on his allotment to create a shed which doubles up as an art studio.

Alongside tending to his own allotment, he is also regularly on hand to help some of the elderly allotment plot holders, particularly throughout lockdown.

49.

Shed taken over by nature, Ashley Vale.

50.

Artur waters his plants during the last light on a beautiful summer evening, Speedwell.

52.

View over Royate Hill Allotments, taken late October.

75

55.

Despite being in his 80’s, Monteith who’s originally from Ireland still rides his bike to the allotments. He goes most days to keep on top of his two plots and always brings the vegetables home to his wife, Thingwell Park.

56.

Late flowers collide with autumn leaves, Thingwell Park.

57.

Winter squashes, Thingwell Park.

58.

Tina on Bonfire Night. It’s a night that signifies for many the end of the growing season. This year has been a particularly difficult year for Tina, as she lost her husband in March due to him contracting Covid-19 in hospital just after coming home from Jamaica, Thingwell Park.

60.

The back of Chicken and Rachel’s shed. The structure sits in the centre of their plot and is the focal point of the allotment. It’s where they spend much of their time and is a sociable space that friends enjoy too, Ashley Vale.

63.

Abundant crab apples, Ashley Vale.

65.

Webster believes that in life there’s always “two sides of the same coin”. He talks in depth about what it was like to arrive in England from Jamaica, Thingwell Park.

66.

Callaloo plant - type of Caribbean spinach burns in fire, Thingwell Park.

67.

Building materials, Thingwell Park.

68.

Frosty pumpkins, Ashley Vale.

70.

Frosty morning, Ashley Vale.

73.

Tina throws the last of the wood onto the flames, before leaving the allotment on Bonfire Night, Thingwell Park.

77.

Dying sunflower, Thingwell Park.

Acknowledgements Alejandro Acin, Tom Archer, Josie Atkinson, Safia Belhaj, Ken Grant, Tom Groves, Louis Little, Tracy Marshall-Grant, Katie McInnes, Rudi Thoemmes.

A special thank you to Faruk, Shilpi, Chicken, Rachel, Mike, Tara, Tina, Shawn and all the others who very kindly gave me their time, without them this wouldn’t have been possible.

Growing Spaces was commissioned by Bristol Photo Festival and the project was exhibited as part of the 2020 / 2021 edition. bristolphotofestival.org

RRB Photobooks, April 2021 Photographs © Chris Hoare Text © Tom Archer Design © Safia Belhaj for IC Visual Lab Edit & Sequence by Chris Hoare, Safia Belhaj and Alejandro Acin Colour Management by Bread & Butter Studio Printed at Taylor Brothers, Bristol, UK ISBN 978-1-8382683-1-2 rrbphotobooks.com

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Acknowledgements Alejandro Acin, Tom Archer, Josie Atkinson, Safia Belhaj, Ken Grant, Tom Groves, Louis Little, Tracy Marshall-Grant, Katie McInnes, Rudi Thoemmes.

A special thank you to Faruk, Shilpi, Chicken, Rachel, Mike, Tara, Tina, Shawn and all the others who very kindly gave me their time, without them this wouldn’t have been possible.

Growing Spaces was commissioned by Bristol Photo Festival and the project was exhibited as part of the 2020 / 2021 edition. bristolphotofestival.org

RRB Photobooks, April 2021 Photographs © Chris Hoare Text © Tom Archer Design © Safia Belhaj for IC Visual Lab Edit & Sequence by Chris Hoare, Safia Belhaj and Alejandro Acin Colour Management by Bread & Butter Studio Printed at Taylor Brothers, Bristol, UK ISBN 978-1-8382683-1-2 rrbphotobooks.com

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