Seed is a monumental public sculpture that blends botany, history and public participation into a striking landmark for Reading. Created by artists Rachael Champion and Jonathan Trayte, the work is inspired by the legacy of Sutton’s Seeds, a 19th-century horticultural company that helped shape the town’s identity.

The sculpture takes the form of an enlarged Calendula seed, its silhouette cut from bright orange steel plates. It is elevated on a terrazzo brick plinth that doubles as seating - an inviting place for people to gather, pause, and reflect. The plinth itself holds deeper meaning: it contains recycled materials, including bricks referencing Reading’s signature bricks, nodding to the town’s architectural heritage.

Embedded within the sculpture are nine bronze reliefs, each depicting a magnified seed surface. These seeds and plants were selected by the public through an open call and crafted using scans from a scanning electron microscope at London’s Natural History Museum. The selection process was guided by Dr Alastair Culham from the University of Reading.

Seed exemplifies how public art can be rooted in place - honouring the town’s natural and industrial history while reflecting the hopes and voices of its current communities.

Photography from Altay Dogahan, Redwood Consulting, Adrian Lambert, and Andy Stagg