Alison Smith - The Nectary

Alison Smith is an artist and maker based in Leeds, UK. Smith creates lit sculptures and immersive, multi-sensory light installations using recycled materials, transformed through craft and textile processes. Smith often collaborates with scientists and technologists, creating pieces which explore natural forms or processes with a strong ecological narrative.

About The Work

The Nectary invites visitors to immerse themselves in nature and hear “the hum of the earth” as they mimic a pollinating insect, visiting six huge glowing flowers handcrafted from recycled materials. Created by Leeds based artist Alison Smith and Dr. Chris Hassall, lecturer in Animal Biology at the University of Leeds, this light and sound installation explores what we can gain from listening to nature, both for our own wellbeing and to develop understanding of the delicate ecosystems of which we are a part.

The Nectary was developed with funding from Light Night Leeds, the University of Leeds and From the Fields.