Loughborough Junction Public Realm
Lambeth Council
Following on from the success of our engagement work in the area, Lambeth Council invited us to co-design some of the elements for the public realm improvements. It has been a fantastic opportunity to make local people’s priorities about boosting and celebrating the areas character and identity a reality, in a way that was unique to Loughborough Junction.
So far we have completed three outputs within the area:
- Loughborough Rd Bridge Artwork
- Public Art on the Green Man Skills Zone
- Lamp post Banners
September 2016 – Ongoing
Sharing information
Throughout the project we worked closely with a local steering group that represented lots of different local interests. The group met monthly to ensure that our ideas were on the right track with our ideas and designs. We used posters (physically and digitally) to keep the local community up to date about events and progress. We also maintained a project specific blog to give people more information as things were happening.
Click here to see the project blog in full.
Loughborough Road Bridge Artwork: Collaborating with local Artists
When we spoke to people in Spring 2016, the idea of creating something special out of the Bridge to celebrate local identity and creative talent was one of their top priorities. We brought local arts initiative 7 Bridges on board to collaborate with our design and we are thrilled with the result.
The concept for the bridge was developed with Walter Reed and a team of 10 local artists as part of the 7 Bridges project.
Their ambitious, arts-led regeneration plan is to transform all of the bridges in Loughborough Junction into works of art that celebrate connectivity with different cultures and continents. We are really pleased to have been able to help bring them one bridge closer to that goal!
Inspired by the patterns make:good created in and the area’s strong African and Caribbean heritage, to tie in with the 7 bridges wider plan, the local steering group, make:good and 7 Bridges decided to make this the ‘Mama Africa’ bridge.
Public Art on the Green Man Skills Zone – Public co-design workshop and exhibit
The Shimmer wall adds a bit of sparkle to the junction above the Green Man Skills Zone. The former pub building, now offers training and support to get Lambeth locals into work or further education. The design takes it’s motif from traditional stonework representations of the mythical ‘Green Man’ who symbolises spring and rebirth, apt not only for the function of the building it adorns, but also the wider change and improvements taking place in the area as a whole.
The design for the shimmer wall was created with the help of more than 40 local residents who attended our public co-design session with local carnival arts organisation Sunshine International Arts in November 2016. At this session participants were also able to see and comment on initial ideas for the public realm improvements.
This was funded by Matthew Betts the building Landlord, and subsidised by Shimmerwalls uk, whose founder grew up in the Loughborough Junction.
Lamp Post Banners – School Workshops
The banners act as a timeline giving fun and interesting snapshots into Loughborough Junctions past. The vibrant repeat patterns that are the backdrop for our lamp-post banners were designed with the help of more than 100 local children form Jessops primary, Saint Saviours, Loughborough Primary and Michael Tippett School.
