We are delighted to announce Urban Fungarium / Rachel Kitchlew as OmVed Gardens' Artist of the Month for October. A multidisciplinary designer and professional harpist and composer, Rachel is the founder of Urban Fungarium, an online platform where fungal research, artwork and material exploration are logged and shared with a growing community.
Rachel's work focuses on sustainable circular systems, regenerative design and finding ways to close loops within waste streams. Biophilic design is central to her practice, alongside exploring the potential of mycelium-based materials and the role they can play when incorporated into our living and built environments.
Her work has been exhibited at GroundWork Gallery as part of Nature’s Mysterious Networks, The Mills FabricaX in King's Cross, As part of London Craft Week, and at The V&A where her work featured in the film ‘Abundance’ and was exhibited alongside the other exhibitors which were used in the film, all curated by the Arup Foresight Team.
Biophilic design is an important part of her practice, alongside exploring the potential of mycelium-based materials and how they are beneficial and important, when incorporated into our living and built environment.
In line with OmVed Gardens' 2026 theme, Listening as Care, Rachel's practice moves between disciplines with an attentiveness to what materials, organisms and sounds can teach us. Whether composing at the harp or working with mycelium, she invites us to notice the quiet intelligence of the natural world, and to consider how the systems we build might work with it rather than against it.
Friday Live: Rachel Kitchlew
You can enjoy Rachel's work in person at Friday Live on Friday 23 October, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm in the Barn.
The performance will be part of the Urban Fungarium installation, with Rosie Turton and Clementine Brown joining me for an ambient, improvised harp led set amongst the suspended mushroom growing fruiting orbs. They are grown on waste, including cardboard, hemp, and coffee grounds.
Following the performance, Rachel will lead a discussion on Urban Fungariums, sharing the research and material experiments behind the platform.
