Siân Davey - The Garden

“The Garden” is a photobook by British photographer Siân Davey, published in 2024 by Trolley Books. It features 80 color illustrations across 112 pages, bound in a cloth hardcover with foiling.

The project began when Davey’s son, Luke, suggested transforming their long-neglected backyard into a wildflower garden. They cultivated native flowers such as mullein, meadowsweet, wild carrot, giant sunflowers, poppies, and cornflowers. This vibrant space attracted a diverse community, including mothers and daughters, grandparents, the lonely, the marginalized, teenagers, new lovers, the heartbroken, and those concealing a lifetime of shame.

Through intimate portraits taken within this flourishing environment, Davey captures expressions of joy, interconnectedness, yearning, sexuality, and defiance. The garden serves as a metaphor for the human heart, reflecting the shared experiences of those who entered. As Davey eloquently states, “Everyone has a place in our garden. I am the garden. Those who enter are the garden. Without distinction, without separation.”

This photobook is a testament to the transformative power of nature and community, offering readers a profound exploration of humanity through the lens of a cultivated paradise.