This piece is inspired by Edinburgh’s allotments, from the epic Inverleith Park to the modest Cambridge Avenue, they thrive tucked between housing, roads, railways and cemeteries. They are stalwart in their existence against development, although their number has halved in the last forty years. What appealed the most was the great variety in layout and use of individual plots; a microcosm of society. Surprisingly, they don’t appear on ordinance survey maps although they are revealed on Google in all of their aerial, Technicolor, patchwork glory.

This miniature version, with sheds, greenhouses and cold frames is lost-wax, kiln-cast in n transparent clear lead crystal glass. For Rachel, the hidden element of these long established areas was the most intriguing, so the challenge was to create the buildings visible inside and out, with everything laid bare. This led to the hollow, detailed forms in the final sculpture.