Ackroyd & Harvey
Encyclopedia
Ackroyd & Harvey are visual artists who have collaborated since 1990.
Ecology
, architecture
, sculpture
, and photography
are some of the disciplines that intersect in Ackroyd & Harvey’s work, revealing an intrinsic bias towards process and event. Their artwork makes explicit connections with urban political ecologies by highlighting the temporal nature of processes of growth and decay in sites of architectural and ecological interest as well as contemporary art galleries and museums worldwide. Often working outside the gallery space and in diverse contexts, they are acclaimed for large-scale architectural interventions where they grow landmark buildings with seedling grass.
In 2003 they grew the entire vertical interior space of a disused church in South London; the following year contributed to European Space 9th Sculpture Quadrennial in Riga
, Latvia
; and in 2007 realised their largest temporary living public artwork FlyTower on the exterior of London’s National Theatre
. They have received the NESTA Pioneer award and Wellcome Sci-Art award for their work utilizing the light-sensitivity of the pigment chlorophyll
in making complex living photographs in grass, and have exhibited this work worldwide including the Andalusia
n Centre for Contemporary Art, (Seville
), Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne
(Switzerland
), SF Camerawork, San Francisco (USA), Santa Barbara Museum of Art
(California
), Exit Art
(NY), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
, Boston
(USA), Rice Gallery, Houston (USA) and Big Chill (UK).
Since 2003, they have made a series of expeditions to the High Arctic
with Cape Farewell, looking at the effects of climate change on the ecosystem and have shown the resulting work Stranded, a skeleton of a Minke Whale
encrusted with crystals at London’s Natural History Museum
, the Liverpool Biennial
and Japan’s Miraikan
Museum.
Ackroyd & Harvey have given many lectures and presentations, notably at the London School of Economics
, Royal Society
, Royal Institute of British Architects
, Tate Britain
, National Theatre, Manchester International Festival
, Oxford University, Courtauld Institute, Harvard University
, San Francisco Institute of Arts and in May 2009 presented at the ‘Nobel Laureate Symposium’ on Creativity, Leadership and Climate Change at London’s Science Museum
.
Ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
are some of the disciplines that intersect in Ackroyd & Harvey’s work, revealing an intrinsic bias towards process and event. Their artwork makes explicit connections with urban political ecologies by highlighting the temporal nature of processes of growth and decay in sites of architectural and ecological interest as well as contemporary art galleries and museums worldwide. Often working outside the gallery space and in diverse contexts, they are acclaimed for large-scale architectural interventions where they grow landmark buildings with seedling grass.
In 2003 they grew the entire vertical interior space of a disused church in South London; the following year contributed to European Space 9th Sculpture Quadrennial in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
; and in 2007 realised their largest temporary living public artwork FlyTower on the exterior of London’s National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
. They have received the NESTA Pioneer award and Wellcome Sci-Art award for their work utilizing the light-sensitivity of the pigment chlorophyll
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in almost all plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. Its name is derived from the Greek words χλωρος, chloros and φύλλον, phyllon . Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, critical in photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light...
in making complex living photographs in grass, and have exhibited this work worldwide including the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n Centre for Contemporary Art, (Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
), Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
(Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
), SF Camerawork, San Francisco (USA), Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is an art museum located at 1130 State St. in downtown Santa Barbara, California.It was founded in 1941 and currently ranks amongst the top 10 regional art museums in the United States . It is home to both permanent and special collections, the former of which...
(California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), Exit Art
Exit Art
Exit Art is a non-profit cultural center established in 1982. Located in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, United States, the two-story gallery exhibits contemporary visual art, installation, video, theater, and performance....
(NY), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
(USA), Rice Gallery, Houston (USA) and Big Chill (UK).
Since 2003, they have made a series of expeditions to the High Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
with Cape Farewell, looking at the effects of climate change on the ecosystem and have shown the resulting work Stranded, a skeleton of a Minke Whale
Minke Whale
Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
encrusted with crystals at London’s Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, the Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial is a British international festival of contemporary art held in Liverpool. The festival comprises the International Exhibition, the John Moores Painting Prize, the Bloomberg New Contemporaries Exhibition and the Independents Biennial....
and Japan’s Miraikan
Miraikan
is Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, created by Japan's Science and Technology Agency. It is situated in a new purpose-built building in the Odaiba District of Tokyo. Some highlights include real-time displays of data from a huge array of seismometers across Japan which...
Museum.
Ackroyd & Harvey have given many lectures and presentations, notably at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
, Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
, National Theatre, Manchester International Festival
Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is an international cultural festival of original new work, held in the English city of Manchester. It is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009 and 2011...
, Oxford University, Courtauld Institute, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, San Francisco Institute of Arts and in May 2009 presented at the ‘Nobel Laureate Symposium’ on Creativity, Leadership and Climate Change at London’s Science Museum
Science Museum (London)
The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction....
.