Exhibitions

The Exhibition

LOOK Climate Lab is a biennial programme showcasing photography as a relevant and powerful medium for discussing climate change and the systematic changes needed for dealing with the climate crisis. The 2026 programme centres around gardens and how people connect with green spaces; with the gallery being transformed into a lab, bringing together researchers, activists and artists.

OFFSHOOT‘s socially engaged photographers Fiona Robinson, Anoosh Ariamehr and Liz Lock; as well as artist in residence Yan Wang Preston are featured in 2026’s LOOK Climate Lab. With Fiona, Anoosh and Liz displaying their images and activity from working at RHS Garden Bridgewater with different groups from the Salford community, and Yan sharing her explorations and experiments in response to the oldest tree at RHS Bridgewater.

OFFSHOOT will be exhibited alongside a diverse and fascinating variety of projects including:

My Nature Connection. Photographer Stephanie Wynne has been collaborating with volunteers for Whitby Park Community Garden exploring the positive impact of nature connections, developed in partnership with Chester Zoo as part of their Networks for Nature programme.

Pansy Project. Paul Harfleet has been planting pansies at sites of homophobic and transphobic abuse since 2015. Through this quiet yet powerful act, the ongoing project gently confronts hate crime and brings visibility to LGBTQ+ experiences that often go unreported. 

Roam, River, Roam. A practice-as-research project by artist and producer Liz Wewiora, which forms part of her wider current PhD in collaboration with the University of Salford and Open Eye Gallery. Liz has been working as a photographic artist in residence with different communities located at the points where various rivers meet. The residency explores individuals’ relationship to their local river and its surrounding public green spaces.

The events programme includes workshops, talks, open meetings and more – to be announced soon!

Photograph by Lyla from Bridgewater Youth Club. Taken as part of Liz Lock’s photography and storytelling workshops with Salford Youth Service.

Lily’s Gift. A leaf wrap with sweet chestnuts. ©Yan Wang Preston.

The Pansy Project Garden 2010. Winner of a Gold Medal and Best Conceptual Garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2010. Designed by Paul Harfleet and Tom Harfleet.

The Exhibition

Explore RHS Garden Bridgewater from new perspectives with exhibits from our inaugural artists in residence displayed in a variety of locations across the garden. 

Yan Wang Preston is a multi-award-winning visual artist and photographer passionate about the natural world and our place within it. Yan is sharing two pieces of work inspired by the garden and the work of the RHS. “The Perfect Flower” is an exploration of the hydrangea and the RHS trials process. “Goose Poo and Rainbow” reframes found objects from Middle Wood, beautifully photographed and reinstalled in the woodland where they were found. 

Yan’s work is shared alongside images by Fiona Robinson and Anoosh Ariamehr. Socially Engaged Photographers who have been resident in the RHS’ Community Wellbeing and Community Grow gardens. Their artwork deepens our understanding of the impact of these spaces, allowing us to better understand how individuals from all walks of life connect with gardens and gardening. 

Works shown will include:

Goose Poo and Rainbow: Installed in Middle Wood, Goose Poo and Rainbow comprises 12 large-scale black and white photographs of 11 objects, presented across carefully selected locations within the woodland.

These works depict found objects — including a golf ball, fragment of writing, old shoe, baby’s dummy and a scouting knife — discovered during the development of RHS Garden Bridgewater, many of them unearthed by RHS volunteers.

“If you look at the traces people have left and objects found, there’s quite a wild history — as rich as a rainbow and as unruly as the geese.” — Yan Wang Preston

The Perfect Flower: Presented in the Potting Sheds at RHS Garden Bridgewater, The Perfect Flower explores the hydrangea and the RHS trials process through photography and portraiture. Developed through close observation of the RHS Hydrangea paniculata trials, the work examines how flowers are classified, valued and perfected. The work also reflects on the cultural and historical implications embedded in horticulture, including colonial histories that shaped the introduction and classification of plant species.

Socially Engaged Commissions: OFFSHOOT features new commissions by socially engaged photographers Fiona Robinson and Anoosh Ariamehr. Their work has been developed in collaboration with community groups across RHS Garden Bridgewater, reflecting the role of gardens in supporting wellbeing, connection and creativity. Through workshops and participatory activity, their projects explore how people experience and relate to nature, embedding community voices within the exhibition.