Allotment Tapes
Monthly Bandcamp series for 2026
Throughout 2026 I am attempting a year long series of releases documenting the historic St Ann’s Allotments in Nottingham. The series, called Allotment Tapes, is released monthly on Bandcamp.
I came to allotments, and St Anns in particular, via a rather wavy process… I think I wanted to do something connected to land use/nature as these are subjects that are important to me. What I love about allotments is the real DIY, non- conformist vibe that purveys them. Aesthetically, I think they’re lovely, all higgledy-piggledy, sheds made from old doors, nature re-claiming an old watering can. I think there’s something really positive and nourishing about this. It also comes across when talking to plot holders, some really lovely ‘plot-philosophy.’
So, originally I was thinking allotments in general, but then I spent a bit more time at St Anns and realised what an amazing space it is. Firstly, it’s huge and a bit mysterious — a lot of the plots are separated by high hedges, some of the alleys are like little warrens. It’s got a great and varied history as well (from Victorian leisure gardens to vital food supplies, a period of decay and crime and the regeneration of the last 30 years). It’s very much an inner city green space and there are a number of initiatives enabling access to the site and its nature and the opportunity to grow your own food for the local community.
*excerpt of an interview with Sonic Tapestries.