Work on borough-wide art project begins

Three new murals will be unveiled across Haringey this year, reports Fran Di Fazio

Consultation has begun on a new, borough-wide public art project.

Funded by Haringey Council and facilitated by Bud Studio, the Town Centres Creative Art Project will commission local artists to produce murals and shutter artworks in Stroud Green Road, Blue House Yard (Wood Green), and Crouch End.

Planning for the new artworks began in December, when Haringey locals were invited to share their ideas during a community workshop.

Bud Studio – which is responsible for the bookshelf mural which adorns Wood Green Library – used these ideas generated to inform the artist briefs for the project.

Zoe Alleyne, Bud Studio’s co-founder and managing director, thinks it’s important to involve local people in public art projects. She said: “I don’t think you can add artwork to an area until you’ve asked people who live and work there what they actually want, or if they even want it at all. It needs to be their artwork; it needs to feel like it belongs to them.”

Hanna, a local artist who attended the workshop in December, echoed her thoughts: “It’s really important to collect ideas and exchange experiences,” she said, adding that she would like the final pieces to include abstract imagery, floral compositions, and typography.

Cléa, another attendee, said: “I’d like to see scenes that represent London’s mixed community, with bright and fluorescent colours. I think after the darkness of the winter, which also reflects the distance, you should have work that brightens up a bit.”

After the initial workshop attendees were supplied with art materials to realise their own canvas paintings. From a preliminary look at people’s ideas, Zoe observed overarching themes of unity and diversity, as well as a preference for natural motifs and bright colours.

Participants to Bud Studio’s community workshops will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite artists in online polls. The results will play a role in the final commissions.

The project is being delivered as part of Haringey Council’s ‘High Streets Recovery Action Plan’, supporting the recovery and renewal of local sites for business and socialisation after the Covid-19 pandemic. The Town Centres Creative Art Projects will be rolled out in 2023. Bud Studio is set to host another community art workshop on Monday, 9th January at Hornsey Library.

For more information:
Visit budstudio.co.uk

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