In 2020, just when the lockdown for Covid took place, we were invited by Coin Street Community Builders to take part in Waterloo Art Festival which has gone virtual for the first time after ten years.

The theme of the festival, Transforming Communities, was a chance for Coin Street to continue to build an inspirational neighbourhood even if all activities had to take place online.  The festival has managed to bring the community of Waterloo together despite this difficult period and ensured that local residents accessed creative pursuits during the lockdown.

Hades being dazzled by Persephone while she picks flowers in a meadow.

Of the many stories in ancient Greek mythology, the one that was the most exciting to us as children is the one telling of the kidnapping of Persephone by Hades, king of the Underworld.

Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, goddess of fertility, was in a meadow picking flowers when Hades saw her and was dazzled by her charm. He kidnapped her and brought her to the Underworld to marry her. Demeter was devastated at the loss of her daughter and she refused to carry out her responsibilities: as a result, the earth became infertile and humans began to starve.

This lasted for six months, until Demeter and Hades finally reached an agreement whereby Persephone would leave the Underworld for half the year and spend time with her mother. According to the myth, in the months when Persephone is reunited with her mother the earth becomes fertile again, flowers bloom, trees come into leaf and humans celebrate the rebirth of
nature.

Never has this myth been more relevant to us than during the period of lockdown in London. During Covid-19, quarantine in a London flat felt like being isolated in an Underworld, where not much was happening other than ‘breaking news’: We missed the great outdoors, the connection with nature and people.

When May arrived and restrictions eased a bit, a walk along the Thames felt like a celebration of the rebirth of nature to me: trees and plants in full bloom were there to remind us all that whilst business and life was on hold, there was something bigger than us out there that was worth noticing and contemplating.

The landscape has maximised the ecological value of the site through sustainable water management and extensive planting that welcomes wildlife.

For our entry to London Waterloo Festival, we created a map of horticultural treasures/facts to celebrate ‘Persephone’s Return from the Underworld’ and the rebirth of nature, when at some point we’ll all be allowed to return to the outdoors. During the one daily exercise we were allowed, along the
river, we found 30 plants worth investigating; we tagged them with a QR code, identified them and wrote down an interesting horticultural or design fact about each of them.

The map was created mainly to inspire everyone to celebrate nature and its wonders. It was done in hope and in good faith that when we all finally achieve a new normality, the plants we see on our daily commutes to work will be no longer overlooked, but will be treasured and appreciated, not
only for their beauty but also for the way they contribute to our lives.

1. Sign up for access by sending an email to: hello@itsallgreentome.com

2. Download a free QR-reader app on your smartphone

3. Using the map and your smartphone, spot the locations and look out for the plants with a QR code on your walk

4. Scan the code and find out something you didn’t know about the plant you have just discovered.

Take a minute to look at the plant and appreciate its beauty. Some of the QR codes we created relate to creative prompts to make your journey more fun!

5.You can leave your own comment on each entry for other plant-hunters who are using the map.