Integrating art into affordable homes in Waltham Forest
Hive Curates worked with Pocket Living and architecture studio Gort Scott to commission 2 site specific murals by artist Adriana Jaros, at the new Forest Road site. Pocket Living’s second site in Waltham Forest, 458 Forest Road features 2 new murals, 1 which is public facing and 1 which faces the interior courtyard for residents.
Adriana Jaros is a Latin American interdisciplinary artist from Caracas, Venezuela based in London, UK. Two facades feature large-scale painted murals by local artist, Adriana Jaros, making connections between the natural and social landscape of Walthamstow, linking with the area’s Arts and Crafts heritage. Adriana led a community-focused workshop to develop colour pigments from locally sourced organic materials from nearby Lloyd park, and allowed local communities an opportunity to engage in the process of co-creating the mural.
The craft-led process and motifs chosen by Adriana reflect the heritage in the area, as the site is near the William Morris gallery, and celebrates the people, culture and creativity within the area of Waltham Forest. The mural facing the courtyard was influenced by the landscape and ecosystem of Walthamstow Wetlands, intended to create a peaceful oasis of calm for residents using the courtyard. The muted colour palette of the murals complement the architectural rhythms of the building and echo the materiality of the bricks used to reflect the surrounding local architecture. Adriana undertook numerous site visits and worked with the contractors to collect discarded bricks, metal, concrete and other site materials, so that they could be ground into pigments to inform the mural colour palette, further connecting to the language of the building.
The murals were chosen as the result of an open call. The project was a unique opportunity to come on board to consider identity and heritage. Hive Curates believe that providing opportunities for emerging, local artists is paramount in public realm projects. In shortlisting Walthamstow-based, Venezuelan artist Adriana Jaros, we wanted to reflect on the ecology of the area, the materiality of the architecture and express identity through experience. The resulting work captures the essence of the environment, the artist worked with local communities to source pigments from rocks and soil in the nearby Lloyd Park to create a distinctive colour palette that offers a moment of contemplation and connectedness to nature.
"Creating a visually appealing mural as a statement of community values, this project draws inspiration from modernism, William Morris and the local ecology. Colours from a community-driven workshop form a well-balanced palette, capturing the essence of the borough's joy, depth and diversity". - Adriana Jaros
Photography by Jim Stephenson, text by Emily Hale.
