May 2019
The Allotment Party
The Allotment Party officially marked the start of Enchanted Garden week. Existing somewhere between performance art, cocktail party and art therapy, this inspiring and magical event saw one hundred guests grow a magical garden – complete with animals – in Lyndsey Ingram’s Mayfair space.
Upon entering the gallery guests were welcomed into an imagined orangerie. Filled with lemon and orange trees and floral-themed artworks, and decorated with vine leaf wallpaper by Cole & son, the feeling was that of walking through a botanical wonderland.
From this first room guests them moved into the imagined garden: a black and white mural that Tessa and Lyndsey had painted themselves the preceding weekend. Inspired by Victorian garden-scapes, and novels such as the Secret Garden, the mural took over a full room in the gallery and depicted everything from a giant water fountain, topiary garden, orangerie-style green house and imaginary estate lake complete with tree house in the distance.
Over a two hour cocktail party, invited guests delved deep into wheelbarrows full of fake flora and fauna to pick out their favourite plants and critters to add to the mural. Slowly but surely the garden came to life in true technicolour, with some unusual and surreal animal placements along the way.
Of the project, Tessa quotes:
” To have the privilege to create your own fantasy garden through painting is one thing. To watch one hundred people come together and build your dream garden is quite another. As a brand, we have always believed in the importance of narrative and have always tried to apply this thinking to the way we design and present our jewellery. The Allotment Party has reaffirmed for us the magic of storytelling. It’s been one of the most wonderful experiences to conceive and participate in”.
Tessa Packard and Lyndsey Ingram would like to thank Cole & Son for their kind donation of the wallpaper for the event.
