Pymmes Park Community Mural

In September 2021 LSoM graduate artist Liv Wright created a mural project on a war structure in Pymmes Park, Edmonton. The project was developed with fellow graduates Al Leys and Amy Dolan.

Patterns of Pymmes was created out of a desire to bring colour and beauty to this previously tired, white and flaking building. Pymmes Park Visitor Centre started its life as a WW2 civil defence centre and has had multiple uses through its history . The team crowdfunded for materials and a Make London grant was awarded by The Mayor of London.  The team consulted with various local groups including Friends of Pymmes Park, Age UK and Edmonton Community Partnership to gather ideas for a design. Starks Field and Fleecefield primary schools were involved in a number of exercises,  exploring what they would want to see in a mural for their local park. In the final stage of idea development, five focus group sessions were held at the Visitor Centre with local residents. 

Thinking about the style of the building and its connection to WW2, the focus group grew interested in dazzle ships. These decorated vessels, with their intense combinations of shapes and colour, appear invisible on a horizon line. The design team used photographs and stories of the park and surrounding cityscapes. These were simplified into basic patterns which were overlaid in different combinations. The palette for the design was inspired by the Mandarine duck, one of the park’s most vibrant residents. The legend of the famous, 200-year-old, Pymmes Park Cedar tree, influenced the shapes that have been used within the artwork. This tree was cut down over 20 years ago but stands in the collective memory of the community. If you look closely you can catch a glimpse of the rarely seen, but much spoken about, Muntjac deer. This small deer was living in the park when the artwork was made. There are a number of other characters who make up the urban and natural landscape surrounding the building. 

The painting plays with the intersections, found in cities, where nature and built environments coexist.   Mirroring its environment, the building also addresses the notions of visibility, the quiet stories, moments and spaces of reflection in a city. We hope the energy created from the project will help this wonderful building continue to bring communities together. 

The piece was painted in September 2021 with a wonderful group of volunteers from Edmonton.