"Reverse Sod Swap" Art Installation Project Construction in Springfield Park, Clapton

Reverse Sod Swap. Stage 2 – Community Seeding Hackney

In 1983, land artist David Nash transplanted a piece of rough North Wales countryside (10 m turf circle) into the lawn of the Serpentine Gallery as part of a sculptural commission. He took the pristine circle of London grass back to Wales where he continued to mow it for several years. He called it ‘Sod Swap’. A botanist counted 27 species in the Welsh turf and 3 species in the London turf.

In 2024, 40 years on and with David Nash’s support, Perry will transplant a circle of wildflower meadow from an East London Park into a West Wales sheep grazed field. The Welsh ‘sheep mown’ turf will go to London where it will be mowed regularly. He’s called it ‘Reverse Sod Swap’. Mike is bringing a piece of inner city ‘wildness’ to the countryside and taking a piece of the degraded countryside into the inner city.

Perry, wants to highlight the impacts of enlightened ‘wilding’ of our inner city parks with the damaging impact of monoculture farming in our National Parks, ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. Much of the degradation of the rural Welsh landscape has happened in his lifetime, thus the relevance of revisiting David’s original work… and reversing it. He anticipates a 10 metre circle of ‘inner city’ wildflowers and beautiful grasses emerging in an overgrazed Welsh field, whilst the swapped circle of sheep eaten turf sits in a wilded park in Hackney, London, where it will be mown regularly. The work is designed to challenge the myth of the countryside as the only place of ‘wildness’, and to create debate about land use and biodiversity in Britain (Wales).

Community Rewilding Project with Mile Perry

On Wednesday 10th April, community gardeners and residents will gather in Springfield Park to help with installing sheep cultivated sod from West Wales, and spreading new seeds for future cultivation.

At the same time, gardeners in Wales will install city grown turf in country fields.

Meeting in Springfield Park, Clapton for 8.30am until 11am

Feel free to contribute as much time as you have available.

It will be a real buzz, and a wonderful project to be involved with!