• From 6 May to July, a trail of sculptural ‘blooms’ invites visitors to explore what grows under the surface

London, UK - From 6 May to end of July 2026, Borough Yards will be taken over by a new site-specific installation from London-based artist Hanna Benihoud. Titled What Blooms Beneath, the artwork winds its way through the neighbourhood, encouraging visitors to slow down, look up, look around and follow the trail.

What Blooms Beneath is designed to be discovered. A series of sculptural works, described by the artist as ‘blooms’ are dotted across Borough Yards, forming a loose breadcrumb trail with standout pieces at key entrances. Spot one, and you’ll likely see the next - a gentle nudge to keep exploring a little further.

The starting point was spring, but not the obvious version. Benihoud was interested in what happens before everything bursts into life, the things that grow quietly below ground, like mushrooms and fungi, thriving in darkness before spring properly arrives. Those ideas feed into sculptural forms that hint at nature without copying it, creating shapes that feel both organic and unexpected.

Each piece is made from crin, a mesh-like, weatherproof fabric more commonly used in millinery than large-scale outdoor art. Benihoud and a team of weavers spent weeks making the works, collectively putting in over 200 hours of weaving. The finished pieces are translucent and softly structured, shifting in colour from light cream through to pinks and deep burgundies, catching the light as they weave through the site.

Some of the larger works stand two to three metres tall, while others are smaller and more subtly placed. Hero pieces greet visitors arriving from Borough Market, with installations climbing up brickwork as if naturally occurring. Elsewhere, the sculptures tuck themselves under arches, spill from walls or cling to corners, diffusing the boundaries between art and architecture.

Benihoud, who trained as an architect before setting up her studio in North London, is known for making work that responds directly to place. For her, Borough Yards isn’t a backdrop but something to work with: the bricks, arches and passageways shaping how the artwork looks, feels and moves. Supported by MTArt Agency, What Blooms Beneath is her most expansive installation to date and her first time working with crin, chosen precisely because it brings something unfamiliar into familiar spaces.

That sense of discovery fits naturally with Borough Yards itself. Sitting at the heart of London Bridge, the neighbourhood stretches under historic railway arches and along revived Victorian streets like Dirty Lane, Soap Yard and Stonecutters Lane. It’s home to more than 50 shops, restaurants, bars, pop-ups and cultural experiences. It is a place built for wandering, exploring and finding something new at every turn.

What Blooms Beneath will be on view across Borough Yards, London, SE1 9AD from 6 May to July 2026, inviting visitors to follow the trail and see what’s quietly blooming beneath their feet.

Artist Hanna Benihoud says:

“As an artist and architect I have a passion for blurring the lines between the two disciplines. Making work within Borough Yards has been a unique opportunity to experiment with the physical edges of our city and sent me tumbling down a rabbit hole into the strange and captivating world of fungi that I may never find my way out of.”

Rebeca Guzmán Vidal, Co‑Founder of Curate Real Estate, managers of Borough Yards, says:

“Borough Yards is a place made for exploring, so What Blooms Beneath feels like a natural fit. Hanna has an incredible ability to read a place and respond to it. Her work encourages people to slow down, look more closely and notice the details that are usually overlooked. It brings a real sense of curiosity to the streets and arches, and we love how it invites visitors to experience Borough Yards in a new way.”

- ENDS –

What Blooms Beneath

6 May – July 2026

Borough Yards, London, SE1 9AD

Free

www.boroughyards.com

What Blooms Beneath has been supported by MTArt Agency and Borough Yards.

For media enquiries, please contact boroughyards@ing-media.com

About Borough Yards

Borough Yards is a vibrant cultural and retail quarter at the heart of London Bridge’s thriving culinary and creative scenes. Set within historic railway arches and revived Victorian streets, the neighbourhood fuses heritage with award-winning contemporary design to create a dynamic stage for shopping, dining, working, and leisure.

More than a destination, Borough Yards is a space designed to bring people together. Its arches and open streets host over 50 shops, acclaimed restaurants, vibrant bars, innovative pop-ups, and immersive cultural experiences. From pioneering dining concepts to design-led retail and year-round arts programming, Borough Yards is where London’s energy, imagination, and sense of belonging converge.

www.boroughyards.com

Instagram: @boroughyards

TikTok: @boroughyardslondon

About Curate Real Estate

Curate Real Estate, a next generation real estate platform with significant expertise in mixed-use destinations, retail strategy and asset-backed operational models, is leading the new leasing programme as the asset manager for Borough Yards. The firm’s founding team brings decades of combined experience across the UK, Europe and the US, and has played a key role in delivering and repositioning major London estates including The Knightsbridge Estate, St. Christopher’s Place and the Mayfair Quarter.

www.curaterealestate.co.uk

About Hanna Benihoud

Hanna Benihoud is a London-based artist and architect whose practice lives in the space where buildings end and art begins. After leaving a career in architecture in 2016, she founded Hanna Benihoud Studio in North London, creating site‑specific installations that respond directly to the spaces they inhabit. Transforming dead ends, tunnels, alleyways and public squares into moments of unexpected beauty and storytelling.

A recurring theme in her practice is the relationship between women and the city, explored most visibly in her 2025 International Women’s Day project HighlightHER at King’s Cross. What Blooms Beneath is more subtle, softening the edges of Victorian architecture with something translucent, delicate and alive. The gesture is temporary, but the question it leaves behind is not - who gets to shape our cities, and what might they look like if more hands were involved? In fungi she found the perfect metaphor for an artist who has always looked for beauty in the places cities forget.

What Blooms Beneath marks her most expansive installation to date and her first time working with crin, bringing her architectural roots and interest in overlooked urban spaces together in a new form.

www.hannabenihoud.com

Instagram: @hanna_benihoud_studio

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