Mikey Tomkins works as a creative consultant, specialising on the integrating of urban agriculture to promote sustainability, community engagement, and greener cities.
“In the realm of urban development and sustainability, Urban Food Mapping: Making Visible the Edible City emerges as a seminal work …” The book promotes urban agriculture and food mapping.
I was commissioned by Islington in Bloom to interview and photograph many of the edible gardens that entered the competition. I draw a map, took lots of images and also interviewed Danny Clarke.
In 2024 I was commissioned to analyse the plans and develop a vision for how urban agriculture, together with local farms and markets could turn help develop a sustainable food system for the proposed site.
a catalogue of Edible maps promoting urban agriculture by date. Each one is printed and you can order copies by mailing me at mikeytomkins at gmail.com
In collaboration with the University of Brighton VR was used to create a “virtual walk” in Brighton, where participants could examine potential sites for urban agriculture.
Hull’s Right to grow initiative to make open spaces accessible for community food growing, promoting urban agriculture.
A Leeds mapping project transforming urban spaces by integrating nature recovery through community collaboration.
A an ongoing project to implement hydroponic systems in Iraq, supporting sustainable agriculture in the Kurdish region.
Features Dr. Tomkins discussing urban agriculture and food mapping on a climate-focused television program with Tom heap.
A paper examining urban landscapes and community narratives through the lens of edible mapping.
Showcases photographs of gardens in Kurdish refugee camps, illustrating the impact of urban agriculture.
Title of paper: Cultivating refuge: the role of urban agriculture amongst refugees and forced migrants in the Kurdistan region of Iraq Cultivating refuge: the role of urban agriculture…
Displays a collection of maps and artworks related to urban agriculture projects and edible walks.
Creation and exhibition of an edible map in Newcastle, promoting urban food production in the city centre.
Walks are an intrinsic part of the map making process. Once a map is drawn, I use the map to invite the public to walk with me and…
These costumes were created to help explore questions around the cultural response to urban food production within my imaginary maps.
As part of the communal aspect of eating and sharing harvests, I have begun to develop the maps into plates. This is still a nascent idea but one…
SHIELDFIELD WHEATFIELD was a project in collaboration with Shieldfield Art Works, begun in 2018, with the aim of growing urban wheat in Shieldfield, Newcastle. The wheat would then…
The Urban Wheat Guardian, is one of two costumes and masks I have been making over 2020, the second is the Fish Spirit Catcher. The Urban Wheat Guardian…