buymydesign - public art projects

community design projects by artists jan rosser and penny sadubin

gateway @ old ford lock

gateway

beacon detail gateway at night

The brief for Old Ford Lock was to enhance the entrance to the canal and attract people to use the canal walk as a valuable green space in a predominantly urban area, involving the community in the design process through a series of artist-led workshops.

The visually dynamic design of the gateway feature intended to redefine this regenerated lockside environment. Directly inspired by the waterway, the new gate, barrier & railings are supported by three internally-lit posts which act as beacons guiding pedestrian or driver and provide a vibrant, welcoming entrance. The three beacons are illuminated internally using up-lighters at the base and contain reflective material to give an ambient diffusion of light. Constructed from fabricated mild-steel they have apertures revealing coloured sections of transparent polycarbonate with printed designs created by local schoolchildren.

seamonster @ Limehouse Cut

view from school

detail view from canal

The brief required us to create, manufacture and install an art feature for the wall of the school’s playground facing the canal, in collaboration with two local school groups. The design needed to take into account the needs of the playground users, make the canal visible for the pupils and provide shade in the summer. It was also necessary for the art work to be seen - and work effectively - from both sides of the wall.

The sculptural feature attempts to capture the sense of the exotic arriving in Limehouse and travelling up the Cut in the form of a sea monster breaking the water, hinting at the mysteries beneath. The design is inspired by the serpents featured on ancient maps to denote treacherous waters but also by dragons commonplace in Oriental mythology and culture, reflecting the local history of the area.

The sea monster is a mild steel powder-coated frame housing a range of textured steels and mosaics and is visible from both the school and the canal. The sail-cloth canopy suspended above acts as a shade for the school yard yet remains visually dynamic in its representation of waves through which the creature emerges.

Bow Creek Ecology Park

gateway

outdoor learning area

The brief for Bow Creek Ecology Park was to create a dynamic gateway feature welcoming visitors to the Park and also an outdoor area where learning groups can gather, using the information and inspirations gathered at public consultation sessions and workshops.

The gateway includes a prominent, lockable pedestrian entrance, a lockable vehicle entrance and a section of fencing. Two steel posts frame the pedestrian entranceway and incised stainless steel panels announce the Bow Creek Ecology Park. The visual elements of the gateway are inspired by the waterway and contain a combination of steel meshes and coloured textured steel.

The classroom area is enclosed by two colourful screen walls incorporating window openings glazed with clear polycarbonate to maintain the view whilst providing protection from the elements. This area is topped by a dramatic shade sail which contributes to the sense of enclosure and creates an eyecatching effect from afar. The screens flank a tiered amphitheatre with decked seating. On the back wall a mural, based on the natural elements of the area incorporates integral shelves which can be used as a changing exhibition area for temporary artworks or for collections of objects found during classes.

Boundary Brook

This design of 5 incised, twisted steel markers, is inspired by the local environment; the subtly meandering brook, the natural and man-made forms such as tree branches and bridges that cross and arch over the brook, the shapes and views intersected by the natural environment. It aims to dynamically identify the entrance to the brook with the scale and richness of the landscape beyond, and also to welcome visitors to a space that is easily overlooked, yet a valuable local resource and important urban oasis. The incised designs of local wildlife were created in worshops by local school children after visiting the brook. The incised panels reveal an alternative coloured or textured steel.