Boomtown Festival 2026 - Rushmoor placemaking project

Artist Statement Commissioned to create a window for the 'Botanica' area of Boomtown festival through Boomtown festival, the Army Welfare Service and Artswork, as part of the young cultural changemaker's programme. Lead artist, Abi Smith (folklore artist) and myself (textiles specialist) led a series of workshops with children, young people and the Dandelion Collective to create an installation based on community, connection and symbiotic relationships. Youth voice led, the final piece showed a forest floor with variety of woodland fauna including: giant mushrooms made with shibori heat treated fabric and layered, slashed textile stalks printed, layered and machine stitched grasses hand stitched mossy hoops on a tree stump with free motion machined rings on felt giant leaves with hand stitched embroidery painted, textured clay snails woven roots and shoots LED mycellium The piece showed another dimension at night - an amazing night illumination with a trippy edge to it! The piece will go on to be displayed as part of “Hope – Youth Voices for Change”, a major exhibition at Mall Galleries, London (8 – 24 January 2027).