BRIDGE DESIGN
OLD KENT ROAD
Mural Illustrations for a Permanent Art Installation on a Railway Bridge
This public art installation was designed to transform a railway bridge into a vibrant, uplifting landmark in the Old Kent Road neighbourhood. The community has a fantastic mix of cultures so it was a great chance to bring this spirit into the artwork and celebrate the community.
Commissioned by Lawless Studio and Southwark Council, I developed detailed mural illustrations for both sides of the external facades of the railway bridge on Old Kent Road. The existing concept envisioned a collage-style mural inspired by fruit stickers, representing local community landmarks and hubs. The project was developed following the recommendations and pledges set out in the Southwark Stands Together programme. It was funded by the UK government Future High Streets Fund and Southwark council.
The “Home from Home” concept, developed by Peter Hudson, Yinka Danmole and Halina Edwards, was chosen through an open call as part of a wider Old Kent Road area development. A series of lighting and colour workshops were conducted by Peter Hudson with local residents at Harry Lambourne House and Walworth Living Room, to encapsulate the community’s feelings and memories of “home.” Children from Kender Primary School were also involved, with Nicola McCaffrey, the school’s art teacher, encouraging the children in the process. The pupils' collage art, depicting local landmarks, inspired the final mural illustrations.
Community-Inspired Design
Guided by the children's artwork and the community workshops, I created illustrations and exterior plans for the bridge. The mural features prominent community locations, including:
• Livesey Exchange (LEX): A creative community event space.
• Astley Cooper Community Hall: A local residents' association hall.
• La Placita Mall: A Latin American street food marketplace.
• Christ Apostolic Church: Serving the area for 36 years.
• Old Kent Road Mosque: Established over 20 years ago.
• 805 Restaurant: A renowned Nigerian restaurant.
• Enat Guada: An Ethiopian café known for fresh-baked Injera.
• Tropical: A popular Latin American restaurant.
• L’Auberge: A beloved Algerian café.
• Bilan Cafe: Serving fresh pastries to the Somalian community.
Illustration and Design Process
Starting with the fruit sticker theme, I created cohesive illustrations that represented each community space. Due to the bridge's format, I designed the illustrations to cover its width as a collage, while ensuring key elements remained visible and easily readable when approaching in a vehicle. The colours from the workshops and the children’s artwork were incorporated to unify the design. Colour choices for the railing and base of the bridge were chosen to create a striking contrast against an overcast grey sky, and also stand out on a sunny day.
I developed several design variations for the bridge design – and included the original “HOME FROM HOME” statement from the initial developments. On the opposite side “NOT ANY OLD ROAD", a community-created slogan, was included on the north side of the bridge. I worked closely with members of Southwark Council to design different colour and layout variations, until the final artwork was decided, bringing together all elements.
Execution and Installation
The artwork was painted by talented mural artists from Lawless Studio (Mr. Finbar and Mr. Penfold ) and treated to withstand the elements, ensuring the mural's longevity for the community's enjoyment for years to come.
Stickers
As a small child I loved stickers, so I decided to create a batch of colourful holographic stickers of both sides of the bridge and for each of the local community locations. This would give the kids a fun and colourful token to remember the installation of the artwork in their community.
Read more about the project HERE.
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