The colour and vibrancy of New Covent Garden Flower Market was captured by a group of artists from the Royal College of Art (RCA) this June, who celebrated the beauty of flowers with an art installation at the RCA’s annual summer exhibition.

Above: Photographs taken at the Flower Market using long exposures via a pinhole camera, were an integral part of the installation 

Held at the RCA’s Battersea Bridge campus and open to the public between 18-21 June, the RCA 2026 showcase highlighted the work of more than 1,600 postgraduate students.

“We were really interested in the Flower Market's space, mechanics of trade and aesthetics, which we captured by photographing some of the comings and goings using pinhole photography,” explained the RCA’s Aynur Abutalibova, who worked alongside artists Ruth Beale, Amy Feneck, and Jelisaweta Noack to bring their vision to life.

Above: Dutch buckets filled with flowers from the Market brought striking colours and scents to the display.

Visiting the Market during May, the artists used specially adapted digital cameras to shoot their images and captured uniquely blurred images that created beautiful impressions, rather than specific details such as faces. They also incorporated 50 flower baskets (known as Dutch buckets in the trade and kindly borrowed from traders), as part of their installation to showcase cut flowers purchased from the Market alongside the images.

Each image was a long exposure of between 2-3 minutes, to capture the look and feel the artists wanted. Aynur’s currently undertaking the Curating Contemporary Art MA programme and specialises in community-driven and artist-led cultural initiatives, with a particular interest in connecting artistic practice with place and context. Hence why the Flower Market was a perfect subject.

Above: An assortment of flowers from the Market ensured the exhibit provided plenty of visual food for thought.

Aynur added: “The flower baskets played an important role and helped the artists explore the material and social life of the Market, and we would like to sincerely thank everyone at New Covent Garden for all their support during our visits. We truly appreciate all the time, effort, kindness, and generosity you have shown us throughout this process.”

Visit the RCA 2026 website here.