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, non-profit community interest company (CIC), collaborated with students from Primrose Hill Primary School to establish a vibrant street art gallery.
This project aimed to improve the area, engage participants, inspire residents and strengthen the community bond. Guided by the theme of family, locality, and aspirations, the children contributed by sketching images reflecting their lives and dreams. This initiative served as a platform for the youngsters to articulate their thoughts, echoing the collective voice of the community. Art4Space meticulously curated these charming drawings, transforming them into 80 wooden murals with bold, vivid hues while preserving the genuine essence of the children's original artwork.
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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, stated: "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 the construction work wraps up and the hoarding comes down, the artwork will be thoughtfully moved to its permanent location – an exterior wall adjacent to Blashford Tower. This step ensures that GRAHAM achieves a lasting impact for both the artwork and the overall project.
Blashford Tower, a 19-story residential building with 73 flats, holds a prominent place in the Chalcots Estate, dating back to the late 1960s. GRAHAM is undertaking a building envelope refurbishment for improved fire safety compliance and improved insulation, ventilation and energy efficiency. A key focus of the project involves window replacement and installation of new cladding featuring solid aluminium panels with a natural anodised finish.
