ROOTS at The Blue Room: food and artwork inspired by our local landscape
The team at The Blue Room on Highfield Campus have collaborated with Winchester School of Art student, Lauren Pruen, and her mother Tricia Porter to give the space a brand new look. Inspired by the Hampshire landscape they are both fortunate to call home, the artists have endeavoured to capture the county’s diverse and fragile natural beauty through their artwork.
The mother-daughter duo said:
“We are delighted to show ROOTS at The Blue Room. It is a fantastic opportunity to share the quiet details of our natural landscape alongside the restaurant’s creative celebration of locally sourced produce.”
Hampshire has been Tricia’s home for 50 years and is also where Lauren and her husband have decided to put down their roots and raise a family. Having worked separately, both could see potential in how their work might complement one another, and in 2024 they put together their first collaboration, ROOTS at The Nutshell in Winchester.
Lauren added:
“As a student at WSA it’s great to be collaborating with The Blue Room. It has been such a great way to connect with the wider University community.”
Staff Matters Spoke to Events Officer and Blue Room Manager, Katherine Cook, to find out how the collaboration came to be.
Katherine joined the Blue Room team in January, hoping to showcase new talent that aligned with their ethos and complemented the food and drink theme at the restaurant.
After reaching out to some colleagues, she was introduced to Lauren who already had a portfolio and completed pieces in exactly the style Katherine was looking for.
Katherine said:
“The collection has completely transformed the atmosphere of the space. The combination of sculptures and framed pieces brings a real sense of energy and intrigue to the Blue Room, and each visit reveals new details that may have previously gone unnoticed. It’s also particularly meaningful that the photographs are rooted in Hampshire and that some of the mushrooms featured are ingredients we use daily, creating a strong connection between the artwork, our ethos, and the experience within the space.”
The response to the collaboration has been incredibly positive, with both internal and external guests regularly asking questions about the pieces and expressing how impressed they are.
She added:
“As a team, our favourite piece is probably the sculpture of the magnolia tree, which is inspired by our very own tree when it comes into blossom. It feels especially personal to the space.”
If you haven’t discovered The Blue Room yet, now is the perfect time to visit and experience their amazing food made with locally sourced Hampshire produce, alongside herbs freshly picked from their own kitchen garden. Combined with great service, flavourful drinks and striking artwork throughout the space it creates a unique atmosphere that’s well worth experiencing. You can reserve a table to try some of The Blue Room’s incredible dishes by emailing food@soton.ac.uk.
You can also follow The Blue Room on Instagram – @the.blueroomrestaurant.
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