We are delighted to announce Rachel Kitchlew as OmVed Gardens' Artist of the Month for October. A multidisciplinary designer and professional harpist and composer, Rachel is the founder of Urban Fungarium, an online platform where fungal research, artwork and material exploration are logged and shared with a growing community.
Rachel's work focuses on sustainable circular systems, regenerative design and finding ways to close loops within waste streams. Biophilic design is central to her practice, alongside exploring the potential of mycelium-based materials and the role they can play when incorporated into our living and built environments.
In line with OmVed Gardens' 2026 theme, Listening as Care, Rachel's practice moves between disciplines with an attentiveness to what materials, organisms and sounds can teach us. Whether composing at the harp or working with mycelium, she invites us to notice the quiet intelligence of the natural world, and to consider how the systems we build might work with it rather than against it.
Friday Live: Rachel Kitchlew
You can enjoy Rachel's work in person at Friday Live on Friday 23 October, from 6:00pm to 8:30pm in the Barn.
Rachel will perform music from her debut album Flirty Ghost, named Album of the Month by FIP Radio and played across BBC Radio 3 and 6 Music, Jazz FM and Soho Radio. Rachel has performed at Ronnie Scott's, Glastonbury, Montreal Jazz Festival and Paradiso, and has toured Europe with Alice Boyd supporting Yann Tiersen. Copies of Flirty Ghost will be available to buy on the night.
Following the performance, Rachel will lead a discussion on Urban Fungariums, sharing the research and material experiments behind the platform.
