Working in partnership with London Borough of Camden, Art4Space and Primrose Hill Primary School, we have transformed Blashford Tower’s hoarding into an artwork masterpiece.
Watch the video below to hear more about this artwork initiative:
About the artwork initiative
Hoarding not only provides safety, security, and protection for the public and construction employees, it offers a fantastic opportunity for the local community to come together through art and get creative.
Art4Space, a London-based, not-for-profit community interest company (CIC), worked with children from local Primrose Hill Primary School to create a street art gallery that revitalises and uplifts the space, participants, residents and community. The children were asked to share their ideas by drawing pictures that represent their family life, local area and dreams for the future. It provided a platform for the children to express their ideas; capturing the community voice. Art4Space curated the wonderful drawings, producing 80 wooden murals, painted in bold, striking colours while keeping the authenticity of the children’s original artwork.
To celebrate the hoarding’s new artwork, a ribbon cutting ceremony recently took place, so everyone involved in the initiative could take pride in what they had created together.
This artwork, which has significantly contributed to the social value generated on the project, has already had positive effects by improving the mental health and wellbeing of the residents and wider community, while reducing the amount of graffiti happening on the hoarding.
Astrid Kjellberg-Obst, Project Director Chalcots at London Borough of Camden, said:
“The initiative to display our young residents’ artwork is intended to give local children a voice about what is important to them. Our young people created fantastic images to highlight key messages, which cover a great range of themes, including family, home, favorite foods, nature as well as creatures large and small. No doubt these images will be an inspiration for similar initiatives and a great legacy for many years to come.”
Ibbie Omideyi, Social Impact Manager at GRAHAM, said:
“The children from Primrose Hill Primary School did a fantastic job sharing their ideas on what artwork should be displayed on our hoarding. This initiative has provided Camden’s next generation with a platform to voice their opinions - the artwork truly reflects this local community, which is exactly what we set out to achieve.”
Once construction work has completed and the hoarding has been dismantled, the artwork will be carefully relocated to its permanent home – an exterior wall beside Blashford Tower. This ensures GRAHAM delivers lasting impact for the artwork and the project.
About Blashford Tower project
Blashford Tower is a 19-story residential building comprising 73 flats. It occupies a significant position within the Chalcots Estate, which dates to the late 1960s.
GRAHAM is delivering a high-quality building envelope refurbishment, ensuring fire safety compliance and improving insulation, ventilation and energy performance. One of the project’s central aspects is replacing the windows and installing new cladding with solid aluminium panels featuring a natural anodised finish.
This project will restore the tower for the benefit and wellbeing of its current, and future, residents and community.
