Bow Arts speaks to Miyuki Kasahara, Bow Arts Artist Educator and Thamesmead-based guardian as she walks us through the vast range of projects she has done with schools and Thamesmead communities, all through a unique environmental lens.
Sculpture selected for the Bow Arts Open “ME2U” 2022 at the Nunnery Gallery.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your practice?
I’ve been a Bow Arts live/work space artist in Thamesmead since 2018. I’m also an Artist Educator for Bow Arts, in school settings but also local communities in Thamesmead and beyond. My work examines the environmental factors affecting global issues including that arising from politics and social change, intertwining myths and historical events. The outcomes of my research have included drawing, film, installation, interactive performance, sculpture or a combination of these.
What’s the drive/motivation behind your work?
I always question myself. How do we find ways to reconnect with a losing grasp of the natural world and stop poisoning it and ourselves?
We often forget, nature is a community that we belong to. Do we love and respect the non-human community members; soil, plants, water and animals? Aldo Leopold argued a land ethic that the community’s health is intimately linked with our human health 77 years ago. Can art act as a guide for inviting people to notice, engage and reclaim the relationship with the non-human world?
5 x 5 sq ft project.
You have worked on a variety of different commissions with Bow Arts using a huge range of materials – are there any projects that you’re particularly proud of? What have you learned through working collaboratively on these commissions/what do you enjoy most?
I am proud of all of them of course! However, here are some notable examples.
In July 2020 just after the UK first lockdown was lifted, Bhajan Hujan, artist and a long-standing Artist Educator for Bow Arts (as you know!) contacted me. She used to live in one of the Bow Arts Thamesmead flats. “I don’t know anyone else doing environmental sculptural art. Bow and Peabody is looking for an artist who can collaborate with a local youth group to create a sculptural artwork using rubbish.” I arranged a zoom meeting with Nadia Kassab, Young People’s Project Officer and around 20 local teenagers in the Youth Eco Development Council (YEDC). They wanted to create some kind of sculpture, preferring a land art piece and to film it as the final product. I suggested Marsh Harrier shaped land art created with litter collected in a local area called “Marsh Harrier’s Shadow” This bird of prey, the Marsh Harrier once ruled the marshlands including Erith marshes before Thamesmead was built.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Marsh Harrier was hunted to extinction in the United Kingdom. After being reintroduced from other regions, its population steadily increased until pesticides threatened it again, along with other birds of prey, in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then the population has slowly and steadily increased. Marsh Harriers have been spotted locally and I have spotted them at Crossness Marshes too! The Marsh Harrier is a message of hope, if we commit to a greener and cleaner future we can help all species to recover.
Within a few hours, we collected litter to fill the 8 metres wingspan of the Marsh Harrier. We collected around 2500 litres of recyclable rubbish! The artwork was created at the football ground of Sporting Club Thamesmead. Drone film footage was then taken by local resident Dave Cooper, a retired engineer.
Marsh Harrier’s Shadow. Photo by Dave Cooper.
In 2021, I got into soil ecology and natural gardening from attempting to solve a health issue. I talked about my idea to other Bow Arts artists (Thamesmead Texas) and ended up doing an artist residency at their allotment in Belvedere. The project was called “5 x 5 sq ft”, because my allotment/residency space was 5 x 5 square feet. This project was also awarded a Making Space for Nature community grant, and led to a series of outdoor experimental soil ecology and natural gardening workshops for the local community discussing our health and how it is related to soil issues. I led this at the Bow Arts Lakeside Centre and TUMP53 Nature Reserve. The sculpture I created as a part of performance and publications for the workshops was selected for Bow Arts Open “ME2U” 2022 at the Nunnery Gallery.
Such artworks including in the case of Marsh Harrier’s shadow would not happen if I was not living in Bow Arts live/work accommodation in Thamesmead and interacting with other artists. It is great to be part of a larger Bow Artist community, people have so many different skills, you can ask and share skills without any formal arrangement.
5 x 5 sq ft project
In 2022, looking at wildbird feeding issues in local Southmere Lake Thamesmead, I created a handmade life sized swan puppet/costume and performed as a collaboration with ornithological investigator J D Swann for “Food for Feathered Friends”. This was an interactive game workshop about what local wildbirds eat and how we can help them. Participants work as a group and need to choose the right food for the particular birds. There is a joker – bread that any bird cannot digest and contaminates the water. If they place the bread card on the swan image, my swan gets quite aggressive! It was performed at Cygnet Square, Thamesmead (Continental Drifts and Bow Arts) and for Thamesmead Festival 2022 (Peabody).
Food for Feathered Friends.
In 2023, I installed “Tulip Trees”, bud-shaped sculptures in the north garden at Sandringham Primary School , Forest Gate London. This was my first school project with Bow Arts. “Tulip Trees” are collaborative works with myself and over 120 Year 3 and Year 6 Sandringham Primary School children. I wanted to do something related to local history and connected to nature. After researching Forest Gate I found physician and botanist Dr. John Fothergill had lived in and owned the whole West Ham Park; the estate was called Ham House from 1752-1780, near the school’s location. Fothergill maintained an Ornamental Garden, during his tenancy the house and grounds were known throughout Europe as described by Joseph Banks as the only rival to Kew Gardens, with 3,400 species of tropical plants. Students created drawings inspired by great 18th century Botanical artists / scientists who Fothergill commissioned to draw and categorise the plants collected from all over the world. Artists included Sidney Parkinson who was on board Captain Cook’s voyage of exploration in the South Pacific recording the plantlife. The final pieces were made from concrete and covered in porcelain tiles with students’ artwork images on, with concrete cast tulip tree buds on each pillar or ‘tree’. The tiles display students’ depictions of different species of plants and insects, all produced during the workshops.
Tulip Trees installation at Sandringham Primary School Inside a Tulip Tree
It was a challenging outdoor sculpture project as you can imagine but it was fully supported by the school art teacher Michael and Bow Arts Project Manager Tom. Michael had been working at the school nearly 20 years at that time. He knew every student very well. He even taught their parents as well! The most enjoyable part was the last session when we visited Dr. Fothergill’s Garden. It was such a beautiful day, blossoms were blooming. Students enjoyed drawing and re-visiting the history of what they learned during the previous sessions including plants such as the Ginko tree planted by Dr. Fothergill and a tulip tree! They collected twigs, branches, leaves and stones for furnishing the habitat for actual invertebrates, one of the fastest declining animals. The pieces also incorporate bug hotels and show ceramic elephant hawk moths created through the workshops. We chose moths because they are actually more efficient pollinators than bees! The final works are not only artworks but also become part of the active ecosystem of the area.
Magnificent Plants project with Southwood Primary School
In 2023, Bow Arts Project Manager Liz approached me about a project for Southwood Primary School in Dagenham. Their year 3 students didn’t have much opportunity to explore 3D materials and processes in their art lessons so they wanted to involve them in creating a permanent 3D artwork to be installed in the school’s garden. The project was focusing on art and science, consisting of three flowers with the correct scientific parts. Reinforcing the students’ learning of their ‘Plants’ science topic, and providing a teaching resource for other students moving forward. I suggested to her and Shaun (the school art teacher) to make three giant flower installations, “Magnificent Plants” using a jesmonite casting process. After a brief introduction to the project and refresher on the parts of a flower, students explored using clay and jesmonite, and created cast jesmonite petals to fix to the metal structures. I welded the flowers with stainless steel and jesmonite casting with the correct scientific parts (stem, leaves, stigma, stamen, sepal). Each flower was two metres tall and sixty centimeters in diameter! I then installed them in the garden near the pond as freestanding structures amongst the bushes. Liz was so calm and helpful as I was stressed out about the delivery. I knew jesmonite casting was advanced for year 3 but I like to bring out the potential of children. In fact it turned out the most enjoyable part of the project was the jesmonite casting sessions with the children. When I demonstrated the casting, every child looked at me with curious eyes as if I was doing magic before having a go on their own. They didn’t quite understand how the colourful yogurt-like liquid turned into solid marble-effect within 30 minutes though. I had an experienced Artist Educator Trainee Heather and a hands-on TA throughout the sessions which really helped.
Jesmonite casting: Magnificent Plants project with Southwood Primary School
This spring 2025, I worked with Y3-Y4 students from Sir William Burrough School on the “Seabird Navigators” project to create an installation in the school’s lower hall where children and parents meet. The theme of the project is Navigation – the school’s emblem is a compass, I represented this using seabirds that link to the themes of navigation, the school’s location by the river and historic Limehouse docks, and sustainability.
Children looked at particular seabirds; Fulmar, Puffin, Kittiwake, Gull (Herring Gull), Shearwater, Gannet (all threatened UK residents species) and created their own bird on MDF. Colour was applied to the underside and edges of the bird to create a muted colour reflection on the wall that plays with the light. I created a life-sized Laysan Albatross sculpture (slightly larger 2.6m wigspan) with a mild metal armature body layered with jesmonite and aluminium wings and installed it in the centre. The model for the bird is a Laysan Albatross called ”Wisdom”, at least 74 years old, she is the world’s oldest known wild bird and her newest chick hatched at Midway Atoll in January 2025. However, 15 of the 22 albatross species are threatened with extinction. I installed the children’s seabird artworks on every wall, 360 degrees as if they are flying in different directions, suggesting the children’s many possible directions for the future.
“I really like art.” “I want to be an artist.” “Are you coming back again?” I feel like if I hear these words from the children the project is successful. Although commissioned works are often a one off. I don’t see them again after the installation, which makes me a bit sad although I am also very pleased that children, parents and teachers get to experience them daily.
Seabird Navigators project with Sir William Burrough School
Finally, what are you up to at the moment and where can we find your work?
I just led a DIY wildlife pond – “mini wetland” workshop at the allotment in the Bow Arts Lakeside Centre Saturday 16th August as a part of Bow Arts Garden Club activity. I had some help but did most of the digging myself in preparation for the session because it was too hard – full of stones and with concrete layers. We covered the hole with sand, put underlay and liner, filled it with water and finished by introducing aquatic plants. We planted 11 different kinds of native aquatic species, 17 plants in total. Ponds are a biodiversity hotspot. Whether they’re natural or man-made, they support more scarce species than any other freshwater habitat. Incredibly, ponds support two thirds of all freshwater species. I suggested the idea during a garden club meeting and then ended up running the workshop by myself with support from Bow Artist Anne Poole. Local individuals and families including Bow Arts residents joined me for the session, it was fun! I need to work on the outside structure a bit more but it’s ready, over time we will see what happens, and which wildlife residents will move in there!
Mini Wetland Workshop at Lakeside Garden Club 2025
From 22 August to 31 October, my participatory installation “Tidal Odyssey” will be displayed at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery in Hastings, East Sussex. “Tidal Odyssey” was performed and created at Electro Project Space in St Leonard’s-on-sea 25-27 July as a part of “Extraordinary Odyssey” group exhibition curated by Caroline Gregory. The installation consisted of sand and remains of a 4000 years old prehistoric forest from the local beach on the site of the wreck of the Amsterdam – a Dutch East India vessel that ran ashore in 1749. Rising sea temperatures as a result of climate change means the Amsterdam wreck and the prehistoric forest wood have been eaten by shipworm, which were less known in the English Channel until the end of the last century. Shipworms will continue to eat the submerged wood including thousands of lost and sunken ships in the English Channel – breaking them down and releasing the nutrients into the sea. I invited visitors to take part in my installation “Tidal Odyssey” by creating their own miniature ship from the sand and peat clay collected from the beach. I invited them to think about these travels over the sea; the people who never made it to land and the journey’s people have taken.
Participatory installation “Tidal Odyssey” which will be displayed at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery in Hastings, East Sussex.
My public commissions for schools are normally hidden from the general public. However, “Oak Tree Ecosphere” wall installation is installed in the foyer at The Lab at Oaklands Rise, London (now Oaklands Social). The Lab is a Bow Arts run cafè and art community centre. You can visit and enjoy the coffee and their events. I have been collaborating with them since the venue opened. “Oak Tree Ecosphere” honours the biodiversity of oak trees. Oaklands Rise, is founded on Old Oak Common Lane which leads down towards Acton, meaning old English for ‘oak town’, as these names suggest, a large part of the area was considerably wooded with great oak trees. According to the Woodland Trust, oak trees are a haven for a colossal 2,300 wildlife species, no other tree species in the UK supports a greater diversity of life than an ancient oak. The 2300 species consist of some 38 bird species, 229 bryophytes, 108 fungi, 1178 invertebrates, 716 lichens, and 31 mammals. I led a series of Jesmonite casting workshops with Old Oak residents and painted a life-sized ancient oak tree with their Jesmonite artworks attached. Participants learned about the ecosystems of the living organisms that would have lived in their local area, including: Badger, Wood mouse, Bechstein’s bat, Barbastelle bat, Tawny owl, Wood warbler, Lesser spotted woodpecker, Jay, Pied flycatcher, Blue tit, Blue ground beetle, Purple emperor butterfly, Purple hairstreak butterfly, Dark crimson underwing, Penny bun, Common toad, Oakmoss lichen, as well as acorns and leaves of native Sessile oak.
“Oak Tree Ecosphere” Installation
I have been appointed as the lead artist for Lantern Parade Bexley, part of a celebratory event for the 60th anniversary of the Borough. I just heard some good news, their Arts Council England bid was successful. This will be developed November – December 2025.
More about Miyuki Kasahara
Born in Japan, Miyuki Kasahara graduated with an MA from the Royal College of Art and is based in Thamesmead, London. Solo Exhibitions include “Paradise Escaped”, Milton’s Cottage (John Milton’s Museum), Buckinghamshire (2023), Red is beautiful, The Stone Space, London (2017) and Trigger, Art Gallery X, Takashimaya Tokyo (2007). Group Exhibitions include Tidal Odyssey, Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, East Sussex (2025), Bow Open, Nunnery Gallery (2022 & 2023), Enduring Nature, Art Lab Tokyo, Tokyo (2019), Swarm, Vestry House Museum, London (2019), Now Play This, Somerset House, London (2016) and Unconfined, The Cultural Centre of The Municipality of Athens (2009).
Public Commissions include Folding Flocks, Sparkle in the Park, Greenwich Light Trail, Well hall Pleasaunce (2022), Marsh Harrier’s Shadow in collaboration with the Youth Eco Development Council (YEDC) 2020, Recycling Symphonies, Lakeside Festival Thamesmead 2019, Utoh (Birds of Sorrow), The Ghost Tide, Thames-Side Studios Gallery (2018), Waving Goodbye?, Margate Festival (2017), Settlement Trail (1884 – 2014), Camberwell Arts Festival 2014, Journey of the London Eel, Wandsworth Arts Festival 2012, Linking the Paper Chain, Hackney Museum (2010) and Message to me 2012, Shoreditch Festival 2008 & 2012 which received The Great Britain SASAKAWA Foundation Award.
Residencies include 5 x 5 sq ft with Thamesmead Texas (2021) which received Making Space for Nature community fund in 2022, Youkobo Art Space Tokyo (2018) and DeCentreDerSpace in Marseille-Provence (2013). His/her personal sky received Best Performance Award at Peckham Open 2012 and was commissioned for Emergency 2012 Manchester.
Instagram: miyukikasaharaart
Website: miyuki kasahara