Reaffirmation 2025: Our Twinned Cities & Cultural Reforesting

This year, Richmond upon Thames celebrates the 65th anniversary of its twinning agreement with Konstanz, Germany and Fontainebleau, France. To celebrate, artists Harun Morrison and Kim Coleman are adding new artworks to the Cultural Reforesting exhibition that engage with young people – the future generation that will see our twinning relationships flourish for the next 65 years. 

At a time when all our communities are facing the global challenge of environmental crisis the exhibition Cultural Reforesting seeks to explore the question, how can we renew our relationship with nature? 

Harun and Kim’s work focuses on darkness in urban spaces. The questions they raise within the context of Richmond are just as important in our twinned cities of Konstanz and Fontainebleau. The European Union’s Future Brief on light pollution and mitigation measures for environmental protection highlights local governments’ responses. How do we address the Europe-wide question of lighting and darkness in cities at a local level? How do we empathetically balance the human needs and other species’ needs for light or darkness in shared spaces? How is darkness perceived in popular culture, and how does this effect our beliefs about darkness? 

The artworks will be unveiled during the ‘Celebrating France and Germany’ event, taking place 6-8 June across Richmond.  

About Harun Morrison’s work 

Environmental Justice Questions (2023-ongoing), organised and edited by Harun Morrison, is a compilation of questions for discussion and debate. Morrison has invited a range of people including activists, writers, artworkers, theorists, architects, chefs, natural historians and horticulturalists to propose a question relating to environmental justice that can stimulate conversation.   

A version of this artwork is translated into French and German as part of the twinning celebrations.   

Posters for the Dark (2025) is a series of glow in the dark posters across the gallery grounds that offer prompts for thinking about what darkness can generate and produce. The posters quote from an array of sources that include movies, literature, theory and song lyrics. 

About Kim Coleman’s work 

The photographic images in this display were made on a night walk the artist took with a group of young people, aged 18-25, close to Orleans House Gallery. A timeline of the night walk features responses and reflections by the group after the walk. The title of each of the photographic works is inspired by these comments. 

Building on the experiences of night time walks that artist Kim Coleman led with Ham Youth Centre, Night Walk is a collaboration between the artist, Kim Coleman, and the group – Lucy Copeland Tucker, Ruby Balfe, Cassius Cornelius, Bea Williams, and Theo Sergeant.  

The timeline is translated into French and German as part of the twinning celebrations.