Freeform crochet tapestry, British wool and homegrown natural dyes (2025)

At West Green Studios Window Gallery from Wednesday 9th December 2025 until Tuesday 27th January 2026; and Creative Crawley's Unit 79/80 from February 2026-present

'There is a moment, when standing in front of a work by Crawley born and raised artist Beth Williams (she/they), where the familiar becomes radical. A strand of wool, a loop of crochet, a colour pulled from a petal—suddenly these everyday materials reveal themselves as carriers of memory, environmental activism, and community care. Beth’s new commission Together we are a garden, commissioned by Creative Crawley and installed at West Green Studios, is a textile poem that refuses to be quiet.

A Poem That Blossoms Into Form

At the heart of the work lies a poem written by Beth that gives the artwork its title: Together we are a garden. The verse is simple, but its simplicity is strategic. It strips away noise and complication to make space for truth: that people, like ecosystems, flourish through diversity, reciprocity and mutual support.

The tapestry—nearly two metres by two metres—is a physical manifestation of that idea. Letters formed through free-form crochet ripple across a field of naturally dyed yarns. Every colour is the result of plants grown in Beth’s own Crawley garden. Those plants, in turn, grew from compost made of their old textiles and fashion materials. Her past work literally feeds the future.

It is a closed-loop artwork: waste becomes nourishment; nourishment becomes colour; colour becomes language; language becomes public art.

Material as Message

Beth’s practice is grounded in ecology—not in metaphor, but in method. Every part of Together we are a garden is chosen to reflect a sustainable, circular approach to making:

Certified British wool forms the base material.

Natural dyes are grown by Beth herself.

Old garments and textiles are broken down into compost, enriching the dye plants.

The final piece is fully compostable, designed to return to the earth and generate new life.

This is climate action presented with tenderness, not as a call to arms. Beth knows that sustainability can feel overwhelming or inaccessible, so they open the door to the conversation in a gentle way. Softness becomes strategy—an invitation to engage without fear.

Textiles are Beth’s chosen medium for a reason. Because we live with them—wrapped around us, draped across our rooms—they carry no elitism, no barrier to entry. Beth uses this familiarity as a form of welcome. Their work speaks to everyone who passes it.

Community as Ecosystem

If Together we are a garden has a philosophy, it is this: environmental sustainability and social sustainability are inseparable. Beth asks us to consider the parallels between ecosystems and communities. Both rely on diversity. Both thrive only when every element—every person, plant, and organism—has space, value and voice.

In Crawley, a town shaped by many cultures, identities and histories, the message resonates profoundly. The work does not simply decorate the neighbourhood; it reflects its truth back to itself.

A Bold Vision for a Shared Future

There is a quiet power in the way Beth brings activism into softness. She does not shy away from urgency—climate breakdown, social fragmentation, and collective burnout sit beneath the surface of the piece—but she chooses to respond with hope. With making. With collaboration. With beauty.

This commission exemplifies exactly what forward-thinking public art can be: not just an object, but a relationship. A source of conversation. A seed of possibility.

As Beth writes:

Each an essential part of the whole,
Together we are a garden.

The work asks us not just to read this line but to live it—to understand our agency not as individuals acting alone, but as part of an interconnected system, capable of extraordinary resilience and growth.'

Words courtesy of Creative Crawley: https://creativecrawley.com/introducing-together-we-are-a-garden-new-artwork-by-beth-williams/