Agamemnon Otero has been steeped in cooperatives from a young age. His maternal grandparents came from Russia to America through Ellis Island and built housing and working cooperatives in New York. His paternal grandparents, indigenous Uruguayans, unionised supported workers’ rights. Agamemnon grew up in upstate New York in collective farm communities built on an ethos of cooperation. The work he does today – building cooperatives for solar energy – is a throughline from his family history.

Agamemnon’s combined passions for painting, architecture and cooperatives coalesced into Energy Garden. In a symbiotic cycle, Energy Garden installs solar panels and community gardens along urban train lines in London, creating a network of cooperatively owned green space. Agamemnon is part of a renewable energy movement that centers community and communal thriving.