Artists use AR to 'rewild' a London shopping centre

Weirdly, though, studies have shown that mere exposure to pictures of nature can positively impact our mental well-being. That's because looking at natural images increases activity in brain regions that regulate emotion and attention and helps increase alpha-wave activity associated with relaxation and meditative states.

In a recent collaboration with Westfield shopping centre in London's Shepherd's Bush, Graphic Rewilding, an ongoing art project created by artists Baker & Borowski, have taken this idea and run with it.

The result is London's biggest nature-inspired AR mural, featuring 180m worth of hand-drawn illustrations comprising 1160 sq m of design.

Bringing the outside in

Baker+Borowoski are renowned for their creative takeovers of urban spaces: they're also the brains behind recent viral sensation Skip House, an exhibition space featuring site-specific artworks housed in skips.

This new installation at Westfield, Europe's largest shopping and leisure destination, is housed in The Village, an evolving space within the mall that combines shopping with culture. The artists' first-ever use of AR and their most ambitious and largest yet, it comprises numerous eight-metre-high panels. This displays 1.5 sq km of ever-changing, maximalist wildflower meadowscapes, which wrap around the walls of the vast circular atrium of level one of The Village.

By accessing QR codes on the floor, the bold floral artwork comes to life via augmented reality, revealing a dynamic abstract meadow for visitors to wander through. Strategically placed codes act as portals into a world of free-floating flowers, swaying grass, hovering bees, dragonflies and effervescent drifting pollen.

Westfield London's collaboration with the artists aims to present an innovative and playful approach to 'bringing the outside in' whilst improving shoppers' mental health and well-being. Commissioned by Zoe Allen of Artistic Statements, the installation will be open over the summer months until August.

Maximalist approach

Artist Lee Baker explains the thinking behind the piece. "As an artistic counterbalance to this severe lack of green space in cities, I co-founded Graphic Rewilding with artist and producer Catherine Borowski in order to bring nature into unexpected and often-overlooked urban spaces," he says. "This project helps us take our maximalist approach to another level as our largest artwork to date, nearly 1.5 square km of ever-changing nature imagery.

"These are our first steps into virtual environments, and they have particular personal resonance, combining my constantly growing passion for nature in art but also video games. We want to inspire people to connect and empathise more with the natural world and find a healing space through these images and experiences.

"New artworks are always a brilliant opportunity to explore an area's natural and cultural history, and Shepherd's Bush has a particularly rich seam," he adds. "The name may have originated from the use of the common land here as a resting point for shepherds on their way to Smithfield Market in the City of London. Sheep adore clover, dandelions, and buttercups, and so in amongst the blousy blooms, we've included these wildflowers."

The project aims to introduce the colour and diversity of nature in an abstract and hyper-real way – inviting viewers to walk through an urban 'wildflower meadow'. Fuelled by curiosity and the 'desire to hack people's happiness' – the installation is an experiential cacophony of abstract, whimsical caricatures, saturated with colour, outlined in black and placed at eye level to stimulate connection with the viewer.

Biophilic sensibility

Baker is fascinated by the intersection of art and nature and its positive influence on the mind and body. Nature and nature-inspired imagery have long been known to be beneficial for reducing stress and anxiety. Through his journey and love of art and video games, he wanted to explore his biophilic sensibility through developing art, nature, and video-game-inspired technology.

To achieve this, Graphic Rewilding collaborated with experts at True Group to incorporate AR technology into their work. In a world of 'gamification,' the artists wanted to show how technological engagement can also be used to create unexpected benefits to health, mood and psychology.

Baker says that the upper floor of The Village was the perfect canvas to create the maximalist floral-inspired, immersive installation. In researching the natural and cultural history of the Shepherd's Bush area, they wanted to make a 'wildflower' homage that reflected the area's heritage.

The artists have always been attracted to reimagining and transforming urban spaces and environments. They also wanted to reintroduce a visceral 'sense' of nature to the busy West London area to encourage connection and empathy with the natural world.