| What is the essence of a rural landscape? How do rural landscapes evoke emotions which are different from urban environments? Artist Emma Smith and landscape architect Sadie Stowell have begun an ongoing creative investigation into how the rural landscape is perceived and how these perceptions can be reproduced or simulated within inner city environments. Approaching their research from an artistic rather than scientific point of view, their project aimed to provide a new creative direction in urban landscape design and art by identifying the elements of the natural landscape that are of positive emotive benefit, such as smell, colour, light, and sound and how they might use these ‘trigger factors’ to evoke the same response within an urban setting. Over a year Emma and Sadie conducted workshops with both children and adults in the urban context of the London Borough of Lambeth, and the distinctly rural context of Hertfordshire and also consulted with behavioural science professionals to conclude what mental triggers and associations can specifically evoke an essence of ‘the rural’, and use this to enhance well being. Their extensive research has been published on a new website, www.subrural.co.uk which charts the progression of their collaborative research process, presenting statistics collected from their workshops. The site also includes information on environmental arts practices, environmental psychology, urban design, the history of artist and landscape architect collaborations, well being, and information on sites in inner London which still communicate a sense of wilderness or nature. “Collaboration has been an essential part of this research process. As an artist, much of my practice is instigated and led by me, but during SubRural, I was able to work with Sadie and collaborate with other professionals in fields which I would have never considered relevant to my work.” Emma Smith Emma Smith is a visual artist based in London, who is currently working on a one year collaborative commission and residency at the Whitechapel Gallery. She has completed over 13 residencies within schools, and runs regular workshops with a variety of community groups including those for Mental Health, Vulnerable Women and the Elderly, as well as working on several gallery education programmes throughout London. Sadie Stowell is a qualified landscape architect who combines her previous training in Fine Art which explored colour, texture, natural form and shape with her creative three-dimensional approach to landscape design. Emma and Sadie’s workshops took place at the following schools: Paxton Primary School, Lambeth, London; Norwood Secondary, Lambeth, London; Ashwell Primary School, Hertfordshire and Hexton Primary School, Hertfordshire. Partners and supporters have included the Norwood Achievement Partnership, Norwood, London; Catherine Davis, County Arts Development Officer, Hertfordshire County Council; Professor Adrian Renton & Faye Eaton Adams, Institute For Health And Human Development, University of East London; Janet Pell, Marketing and Development Manager, Landlife Liverpool; Liz O’Brien, Social and Economic Research Group, Forest Research; Judith Hanna, Principle Specialist Social Science, Natural England and Amanda Outen, Project Officer, Green Space. | 
