Walking the City of London

Category: Quirky Page 1 of 23

Mosaic Magic … bringing beauty to new places.

A quiet mosaic revolution has been taking place in London and a new book is planned to celebrate its success. I would be incredibly grateful if you could consider giving some support to its publication, of which more later.

In the meantime, here is some background information on the achievements of the wonderful Hackney Mosaic Project.

My interest started back in 2022 when I visited Shepherdess Walk in Hoxton and headed down steps to what must be one of the most spooky and best-concealed alleys in London …

With a promise of something really special …

Emerging through the alley into the park you’re met with these stunning artworks. The mosaics were designed by Tessa Hunkin and completed over two years by a huge team of local volunteers (over 150 in total!) …

Unveiled in 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics, the scenes are a celebration of life in Hackney’s parks.

Taking the lyrical name of Shepherdess Walk as a starting point, the first mosaic portrays the shepherdesses that once drove their sheep through here when Hoxton was all fields …

A double wall panel illustrates park life throughout the seasons of the year in the East End …

What could be more Summery than buying a Mr Whippy ice cream, having a picnic or a swim in the lido wearing your smart goggles …

Tessa and some of the Shepherdess Walk team …

Why am I calling this a revolution? Well, it used to be the case that, when I heard the word ‘mosaic’, I just thought of the Romans and the floors of so-called high status villas in places like Pompeii.

Not any more.

Here is the Hounds Of Hackney Downs mosaic. Dog owners – just imagine the thrill of having your friend and companion immortalised for all to see …

Panels give credit to the volunteers who created the work …

The playground shelter on Hackney Downs …

Tessa’s team were commisioned by the Zoological Society of London to make two mosaic panels for either side of the main entrance to London Zoo. They show Humboldt penguins and Squirrel monkeys, both popular attractions. What a great job to get!

Another London Zoo project was for the lions’ enclosure …

You can read more here.

Regent’s Park commissioned a circular mosaic under an octagonal shelter in the newly refurbished playground. The theme was play and the brief to include the wildlife that lives in the park (they are particularly proud of their colony of hedgehogs). As well as the playful mammals the Jersey Tiger Moth is represented in its full lifecycle on the leaves around the border …

A fox balances a ball on his nose …

Mural on Somerford Grove Estate …

Two of the seven panels designed for Tower Court, Stamford Hill …

Lift lobby numbers …

On the Packington Estate, Islington …

You can find more about the projects along with a helpful map here. Click this link for some of the Project’s Greatest Hits.

What I love about the Project is that it aims to help people with addiction and mental health problems and at the same time to improve neglected corners of the city. They engage volunteers, recruited both from the Hackney Recovery Services and the local community, in making large mosaics in Hackney Parks and other locations. They also teach and encourage them to create their own artworks.

‘The Project does not just make colourful pictures out of broken fragments – it also helps to piece back broken lives, and build a new community by bringing people together around a shared vision’.

You can watch and listen to Tessa and some of her volunteers here. ‘For people who have worries in their lives, if you are concentrating on a mosaic it’s difficult to think about anything else – it’s like taking a holiday from your head’.

‘In a bold reinvention of the classical tradition, designer Tessa has assembled a passionate and diverse team of makers, creating dozens of breathtaking mosaics that have become cherished landmarks, celebrating community and elevating the streets of East London’.

My friend The Gentle Author wants to publish a book that takes the story of Hackney Mosaic Project to the widest audience and inspire a flowering of community mosaics across the land …

The book will include high quality photographs of all the major mosaics, an interview with Tessa Hunkin outlining the nature of the project, commentary on the background to each mosaic by Wendy Forrest, illustrations of the working process by which the mosaics are created and the names of everyone involved. It will honour the work of the hundreds of local people who have come together over the past decade to contribute their time and creativity to this magnificent collective endeavour.

To do this some money needs to be raised! Do please consider making a donation – however small.

Click here to contribute to the Tessa Hunkin Hackney Mosaic Project crowdfunder

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

 

Highlights of my Madeira holiday.

I know, I know, other people’s holiday pics are boring. Many apologies, but the really cold weather since we returned put me off wandering the streets looking for stories.

Anyway, I still hope you find the following interesting.

Funchal, the capital, is a nice city to walk around. One thing that is very much a feature, both here and all over Portugal, is the attractive paving …

Called “Calçada Portuguesa” (Portuguese pavement), it consists of small flat stones of basalt and limestone displayed like a mosaic.

And not a discarded Lime Bike or rental scooter in sight!

The 16th century gothic style Funchal Cathedral is quite understated from the outside …

But stunning within …

We also visited the Church of Our Lady of the Mount, rebuilt in 1818 after an earthquake destroyed its predecessor …

The Last Supper …

That must be Judas lurking in the corner, clutching the bag with his 30 pieces of silver.

I didn’t realise that Charles I of Austria (who died in exile in Madeira) had been beatified by the Pope and was therefore firmly on the road to full sainthood.

His coffin is on display in the church …

When his tomb was opened in 1972 his body was discovered remarkably well-preserved—despite the fact that a window in the coffin had broken, allowing in moisture and damp, tropical air. It was opened again in 2003 and a rib removed as a relic with pieces distributed to shrines around the world.

Looking down over the city …

There was an art gallery in the botanical gardens near the church. Here are some images from our visit …

The view from the cable car heading back to the city centre …

Funchal has expanded greatly since our last visit 24 years ago.

Art for sale on the street …

Interesting architecture …

Pretty tiles outside the old Ritz Hotel …

Some would say that this was a work of art …

Knick-Knack selection …

Cruise ships are not pretty, but this one put on a bit of a light show …

We didn’t see many seagulls – maybe because of this chap on patrol every day with his tame falcon …

We really enjoyed the food!

A perfect poached egg (well, it is for me, maybe a bit runny for some) …

The way to serve honey at breakfast time …

In the evening, local shrimp in garlic butter with a top class Portuguese rosé (a generous glass for 4 Euros) …

Crêpes Suzette, a perfect finish …

Plus a brandy and a coffee, of course (dry January is a distant memory) …

Sadly, we didn’t have time to take in this intriguingly named show …

The journey home was a bit fraught. The plane taking off two and a half hours late followed by our taxi driver forgetting where he had parked in the multi-storey at Gatwick! Made it home safely in the end, though.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

Experiment in Black and White.

Last week I was admiring the wonderful images in David Hoffman’s recently published book Endurance & Joy in the East End 1971-1987 (you can order your own copy here from Spitalfield Life Books). All the images are in black and white and some of you may remember that I tried this approach some years ago regarding my exploration of City Alleys.

There is definitely something, isn’t there, about black and white images – atmosphere, the means to play with geometric shapes, seeing a new perspective of a familiar image and so on.

So I’ve been looking at some candidates for taking this approach and these are the results. I hope you like them.

The view from The Grapes pub, Limehouse. Entitled Another Time, it is a life size figure by the sculptor Anthony Gormley …

Below are five images from the viewing gallery at 22 Bishopsgate, Horizon 22.

Looking down on Tower 52. It was originally the NatWest Tower, hence, seen from above, it’s shaped like the NatWest logo …

The viewing gallery …

I like the shadows …

Back on the streets, Blackfriars tower refelection …

Roman Wall and offices at Tower Hill …

Merchant Navy War Memorial, also at Tower Hill …

The Firefighters Memorial at St Paul’s …

Temple Bar viewed from the St Paul’s Cathedral crypt …

Crypt memorial …

Battersea Power Station …

Flypast!

The Stockwell Bus Garage roof. In 1952, the time of its construction, it was Europe’s largest unsupported roof span – it’s still impressive now …

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao …

Maman (1999), by Louise Bourgeois …

The demolition of an old building opened up a temporary new view of the Guildhall and the Shard …

Panorama looking east with little St Giles church tucked away on the right …

The poor Gherkin, and even Tower 52, becoming dwarfed and enclosed by new developments …

City skyline with The Tower in the foreground …

Bunhill Burial Ground …

St Stephen Walbrook …

St Dunstan-in-the-East …

Various architectural images I liked …

The Gherkin and the church tower of St Andrew Undershaft reflected in the glass of The Scalpel building …

London Wall…

Lloyd’s of London meets Leadenhall Market …

St Pancras Station with Sir John Betjeman’s statue in the foreground …

Tower 52 looking up …

Finally, a few from the Barbican (as you might expect!) …

Where archers can be deployed if necessary …

In colour for comparison …

I hope you enjoyed that little excursion into black and white. Clearly, I think, some images work better than others.

Normal service will be resumed next week.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

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