Nature sets the pace for Alex Monroe’s first sculpture exhibition

From intricate bumblebees and flying swallows to fat hens and foraging badgers: these humble animals are an inspiration for Alex Monroe, who is known for his delicate, nature-inspired jewellery. Now, the British jewellery designer opens a new chapter to creatively explore his fascination with UK wildlife through a sculpture exhibition at the Garden Museum in London.

The exhibition, titled ‘Into the Wild’, was created in collaboration with floral artist Hazel Gardiner. Looking at five habitats within the UK as inspiration, the sole purpose of the exhibition is to invite viewers to savour a moment to just pause. It's a space to take time away from the rush of life, and contemplate the series of floral sculptures, hand-thrown ceramics, and sketches – a delicately tactile ecosystem built on craftsmanship.

The five floral sculptures are crafted from silver, with the flower piece featuring an array of rubies. The exhibition dives into the creative process, documenting the trials and errors that Monroe made before realising the finished pieces. The exhibition will also be accompanied by ‘Wild Botany’, a jewellery collection of 20 pieces inspired by the exhibition’s concept.

In a world where climate discussion is all too often pushed to the wayside, Monroe talked with Wallpaper* about why nature should be at the forefront of design, and the joy in taking time to notice our environment's details.

Alex Monroe on his new sculptures, and a very personal passion for nature

Wallpaper*: Congratulations on your debut exhibition! Reconnecting with nature seems to be a topic at the forefront of the design world. What makes your exhibition different to what we have seen from you before?

Alex Monroe: All the work in the exhibition is unmistakably my work, so you’ll recognise it… but the finished pieces aren’t jewellery, I’ve made sculptures. Although there is a collection of jewellery inspired by the work I did on the exhibition, which will be on display in the shop. I couldn’t help myself… once a jeweller, always a jeweller.

I’ve always studied plants and insects through drawing and then I’ve made interpretations of them in silver. My work is quite forensic, meaning I sketch and create as a way of uncovering information. I often dissect things or collect specimens, and I press plants in my sketch books. I suppose artists and scientists are the same; we’re all just trying to understand things, to understand life. I usually translate all my thoughts and drawings into jewellery because I’m a jeweller. I wonder how they could work on the body. Jewellery is such a fascinating discipline, it’s worn on the body and carried with you. It has to work on the human form.

After a lifetime of using jewellery as my medium, I’ve decided to be purely sculptural. I’ve long been fascinated by classic still lifes, particularly Dutch tulip paintings or Spanish still lifes. The human is slightly removed from the work and observes it. It’s been really fun to shift the viewpoint and discover how that changes things.

W*: Why is connecting with nature important to feed into your creativity and what is it about UK wildlife that inspires you?

AM: This isn’t something I have a choice in. My earliest memories are of lying on my tummy looking at ants or trying to draw the birds I’d seen. In many ways my need to be connected to nature grew stronger when I moved to the city all those years ago. I’ve always felt that we have more than enough extraordinary beauty right here where we live to last a lifetime. Sometimes the desire to search for things further afield means you can miss what’s right under your nose. I spent some time in temperate rainforests in Devon and it was just amazing, like something you’d expect to see in a Jurassic Park movie. We have everything right here, and I think sometimes we just don’t take the time to notice it.

What’s lovely is that now I draw with my daughters. We never go anywhere without a sketch book and a pencil.

W*: What inspired you to start throwing clay?

AM: I can remember making clay pots in primary school so this isn’t something new for me. Actually, I’m doing a farming and biodiversity project in Suffolk and when I came across clay on the land I immediately dug some up, formed it into thumb pots, fired and glazed them. This is just part of life for me. I did study ceramics properly when I was on my foundation course, and luckily I hadn’t lost the ability to throw a decent pot. My daughter has a studio in Peckham, so she helped me. I definitely needed help making the glazes and getting the technical things right, such as firing.

I’m a craftsperson and we make things. I feel like these skills have been undervalued. In this exhibition, I hope to share with the viewer the importance of patient observation, and of craftsmanship. I did the drawing. I made the sculptures. I made the plinths. I made the pots. I harvested hay from each location and I burned it into ash and I made the glazes for the pots out of the ash. By taking time and care, I hope to engage with the viewer, not just so they can enjoy the exhibition, but perhaps they can reflect on some of the ideas I’m exploring.

W*: What challenges did staging the exhibition present?

AM: I already have a challenging job designing jewellery and running the business. Also, I’m trying to establish a farm as part of my environmental work. This [exhibition] has been two years of wonderful, but quite challenging work, so I must admit it’s been quite tiring.

I always worry whether I’ve done enough. If people take time to come and see the pieces, I want to make sure I’ve done everything I possibly can to engage with them. I’m aware it will never feel adequate. I could do with an 'off' button!

W*: A lot of your work is inspired by your childhood, having grown up around an abundance of nature. When creating the exhibition, was there any sense of nostalgia for you?

AM: A large part of my work explores nostalgia and I don’t seem to be able to escape it. As the pace of life speeds up exponentially, I find comfort in remembering what is important. The great thing about drawing is that it goes at a pace unchanged forever. The same applies to the making process. Sitting in Martin’s Meadow in Suffolk, drawing cowslip and fritillary, I can’t help feeling the centuries these few pockets of land have gone through and remained unaltered, the natural rhythm of nature unchanged. Down in the damp gullies of a temperate rainforest, you are in an eerily prehistoric environment. There’s no escaping nostalgia in these places.

We have so much today, but there is a peace and tranquillity in losing yourself in an environment where you can focus on just one thing and where nature sets the pace.

Alex Monroe's 'Into the Wild' opens 1 May 2025 at the Garden Museum in London gardenmuseum.org.uk alexmonroe.com