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OFFSHOOT: Artists in Residence at RHS Bridgewater

When?
– 24th April 2026 – 28th February 2027
Where?
– RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford
  • Please note: To visit the exhibition you will need a paid ticket to RHS Bridgewater (or RHS membership).

View the RHS Bridgewater website for information on visiting and accessibility.

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 new bodies 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 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.

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: Socially Engaged Commissions: Work by local communities developed with socially engaged photographers Fiona Robinson and Anoosh Ariamehr is on display in the Community Wellbeing Garden and the Community Grow Garden. Through workshops and participatory activity, their projects explore how people experience and relate to nature, embedding community voices within the exhibition.

Hear Anoosh and Fiona, and members of their groups talk about their experiences here:

A bricked marked with the name 'Middle Wood' is photographed in black and white, it is tilted on a ping pong ball and is photographed against a black background with side lighting.

Brick and ball. From Goose Poo and Rainbow series, 2025. Yang Wang Preston.

Bone. From the Goose Poo and Rainbow series by Yang Wang Preston. Installation photograph courtesy of Jules Lister.

Photography and cyanotype bunting made by members of Fiona Robinsons workshops at the Community wellbeing garden. Installation photography courtesy of Jules Lister.