Yesterday, as part of my Isle of Dogs project, I spent the morning in the beautiful and peaceful Crossorelle Roof Garden. An installation has been created by artists Baker & Borowski which is a homage to the gardens of the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech. It was the perfect colourful antidote to the grey winter to blow away any remaining dullness of spirit. The Crossrail Gardens are a lovely place to wander at the best of times with their lush vegetation, scattered artworks and fabulous roof structure which is open to the sky in places. These colourful works take it to the next level though.

I shared the space with only a few people. There were some parents with their pre-school kids, a group of people filming a video at one end of the gardens and a few gardeners. It’s great that you can find so much space here. What is so nice about this exhibition is not only the art pieces which have been placed around but the way they interact with the trees and plants. This pink and orange circle is really striking when you see it partially covered by the trees.

The installation is open until 19th June 2021 so if you want to visit, you have a couple of months from now. If you can get there in the morning, as I did, I’m sure that’s the quietest time and the best for taking photos. I didn’t stop for anything to eat but if you wanted to, you’re spoiled for choice in this area. The whole Crossrail building is huge and there are lots of cafes and restaurants a lower level. I also took some photos of the whole awesome structure and I’ve put those at the end of this.

I had a great time experimenting with different types of focus. Would I focus on the plants, the artworks or on everything? This one above pleased me with it’s focus on the art and the soft, blurry surrounding tree and ferns.

If you love colour, you’ll be totally satisfied with this exhibition. The colours are so saturated that sometimes they look like neon. Writing this, it’s made me wonder what this looks like in the dark. That’s something I’d like to see.

There are two large stage areas which I would say are also ‘selfie stations’. The next image is a small detail from one of them. If you like taking photos of your friends and yourself against unusual backgrounds, this is a great place to be.

The paths have also been decorated with Moroccan inspired designs and the colours really pop when the sun comes out. The paths do weave about a little so you can’t see the whole of the gardens at one time which I really like and adds to the feeling of space and calm.

The next photos show the outside of the building and you can see how vast it is and its unusual quilted roof design. The Crossrail station is still under the final stages of construction so there are remaining changes to be made. The new Elizabeth Line on the tube network which will stop at this station will run under the lower levels and connect Canary Wharf to the West End and Paddington much more quickly in the future.

I couldn’t say that were any challenges taking these photos. It was all pleasure! The one thing I did notice was that when I stopped taking the photos and went to move on, my hands were frozen and almost numb. This has been a dry April but very cold. Definitely not time to put away the fingerless gloves yet, even though the sun is shining! It’s funny that I never notice physical discomfort while I’m taking photos but the second I stop, the feeling appears. Fingerless gloves and mitts have become an essential part of my photography kit for most of the year. They help me to stay out for longer and can be doubled up, two pairs in layers, in the coldest weather, to prevent numbness.

If you have any questions about my trip to see this exhibition, just leave a comment here or message me from the Contact page on this website.

I hope you’ve been able to enjoy the dry weather.

Yours

Loren