LUNGS: LONDON'S GREENSPACES

This is an ongoing photographic study of greenspaces in urban areas and how people use these spaces. The images are taken from a distance; a perspective that echoes classical painting. Individuals are rendered small but we can still read them by their body language, their clothes and what they're doing - this shows the human race in context, organic elements within a larger canvas.

More than half the world’s population lives in cities. The urban environment is stressful and urban dwellers are at increased risk of certain mental health problems compared to rural dwellers. Part of the problem is lack of access to nature. Green spaces introduce the natural into the urban environment. We all need somewhere peaceful, green and tranquil, a space to breathe, meditate, play, rest and relax from the pressures of modern life. Study has shown that time spent in green spaces brings measurable benefits including better health and an improved ability to concentrate, physical disease is also significantly less common among people living closer to green spaces. Residents in lower income neighborhoods have access to less green space than higher income residents. An improvement to urban green spaces is a step towards more sustainable cities - trees absorb pollutants, plants have been shown to reduce the urban heat island effect. How will green space provision change as cities grow?