Do you know already what is going to happen?
Generally this is the first question that everyone asks Lawrence when talking about his exhibition “We Florists”, something in between an artexhibition and a natural experiment.The question at the base of the exhibition is:”Can a dehumidifier provide enough moisture to keep the plants in a flowerbed alive?” Lawrence’s exhibition is trying to discover it from the 4th until the 27th of October at A Brooks Art (Hoxton Street).
Julia, the owner of the gallery is enthusiastic about Lawrence and his idea. “I was looking for a project that would have involved the community and Lawrence’s exhibition is what I was looking for.”
“This exhibition is involving many people in the community. Residents of the area and our local sponsors, such as Shoreditch Trust, Hoxton Trust and St. Mary’s Secret Garden brought many of the flowers we are now using for the exhibition,” says Lawrence.
How does it work?
“It’s an open experiment. When the gallery is open these plants are receiving air through a dehumidifier that will take moisture from the air and drain this directly into the soil. I had this in the back of my mind since many time and I had the chance to put it into practice with an eye to the community as well.” 
And do you know what is going to happen?
“No. Not yet. We will know just at the end of the exhibition. And it’s not said that all the plants will react in the same way. We have lot of different plants. On the 27th some of it might be fine, some not. It’s a bit hard predict, but people are talking about it and, as I said, is an open experiment.”
Why have you done an exhibition with flowers?
“It is a way to be close to the community. The arrangement of the flowers has been made by Mark Brooks, who ran this space as a florist before it became a gallery. Plus, flowers are a kind of “symbol” of the East end and in particular of the area of Shoreditch. Not far from here there’s the Columbia road flower market.”
What is the reaction of public and residents so far?
“Well, the response of the public has been great even before to start “We florists”. They gave us their plants in order to make this exhibition possible and they agree to re-planted it once the exhibition will be ended. Many people booked a private view. It’s our way to engage with them and to stay close to the community. So far it’s a great success.”
Are you planning to do this exhibition somewhere else as well? Can you tell us any plans for the future?
“Well, I will carry on with my studies and the exhibitions. Every exhibition I do, it’s related to the environment where I do it. I don’t know if I will place this exhibition somewhere else as it is quite linked to the environment of Shoreditch and East London. Lets’s see what we have left in the gallery in a month time.”
