It’s no secret that living in a city can often equate to a life with little greenery to enjoy. Thank goodness, then, for the small havens that are community gardens, as discovered by German photographer Timo Wirsching last summer in London. “The idea developed when I frequently went to a community garden in Islington to see and explore some kind of nature,” he explains. The idea in question is that of Grün, a new photo-book featuring pages of dreamy foliage, much of it slightly unkempt and wild which only adds to its luscious appeal. Wirsching says he became “fascinated by this rather random and ordinary mix of vegetation and its colour nuances – shades of green”. Hence the name ‘Grün’, meaning ‘green’ in German; the photographs present the colour in multifarious forms and shades in the London garden’s abundant greenery.
“For me the book is like a meditation, perhaps an exploration of how the colour green impacts us as humans,” Wirsching continues. “Apparently it’s the most common colour in the natural world. That’s why I wanted to look closer. What also interested me was the mediocrity of this garden and its vegetation. It revealed a sense of honesty that I found very attractive, especially in a world that more often than not strives for a contrived version of reality.” If sprawling plants and dappled sunlight peeking through the leafiest of trees isn’t ideal Monday viewing, consider us stumped (pun so intended).
