Needle Garden

Needle Garden (2008) traces a period spent living in a shipping container. Situated beneath a railway line beside a narrow, walled path frequented by addicts, sex workers, and local gangs, the site included a neglected triangular patch of land—walled off, inaccessible, and strewn with syringes and debris. On the first day, a used, bloodied syringe was thrown over the wall, landing nearby. Over time, more than thirty syringes and surrounding waste were carefully cleared. Using found materials—sand from a local foundry, discarded tree branches, and a charity shop landscape painting—a small, garden-like sanctuary was created. In the months that followed, no further syringes or trash appeared. This transformation embodies themes of renewal and quiet resistance, turning a forgotten and dangerous corner into a fragile refuge—a reflection on trauma and a gesture of hope within urban marginality.