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Adding a splash of colour

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2020 has seen Enfield's art and cultural venues closed for many months and the cancellation of the busy schedule of events that the council had organised for the Dugdale Centre, Millfield Theatre and other sites around the borough. Even since lockdown has been relaxed, indoor activities have remained problematical, so this year's Enjoy Enfield Summer events have been mostly in the open air. Enjoy Enfield Summer has also commissioned some colourful and and cheerful public art works, starting with the new Manga Mural at the Millfield Theatre.

Included among the new public art are five revamped pedestrian crossings, using designs created by artists and designers with strong links to the borough. Two are now in use, one in Chase Side Southgate, the other in Church Street Enfield Town - see the pictures below.

The remaining three crossings will be in Palmers Green (designed by local artist Patrick Samuel), Angel Edmonton and Edmonton Green.

Read more about the public art projects on the Enfield Festivals website.

Dan Maier's crossing in Chase Side, Southgate

Dan Maier at colourful crossing in Southgate photo by Helen MasaczDan Maier celebrates the colourful pedestrian crossing in Southgate that she designed (Photo: Helen Masacz)

Dan Maier’s vibrant design celebrates her love of colour and the therapeutic impact it can have.

"Southgate has a huge amount going for it but the high street needs help more than ever now. Designing the art crossing, I wanted to create something bright and cheery, introducing the essence of nature and its vibrant colours into our urban landscape. The colour scheme also references the rainbows that have been so prevalent during lockdown, symbolising peace and hope for the future. Celebrating our many parks and trees, my inspiration comes from wood grain and water ripples. I've abstracted these elements from the natural world to create a striking artwork which I hope will bring some joy, spark imagination and put Southgate on the map."

About Dan Maier

Dan Maier has been making since she was old enough to hold a pair of scissors. Her extraordinary design work ranges from painstakingly made intricate artwork to atrium scale pieces, with prestigious commissions for interiors, window displays, theatre and advertising. She's worked with the Hayward Gallery, the Royal Academy, the Old Vic, Liberty, Harvey Nichols and the Royal Festival Hal,l to name just a few. One notable project was the 50’ fabric whale she created for Pinocchio at the National Theatre. Dan graduated from Central St Martins in Textiles but now works in a much broader range of materials and is currently sculpting in paper making wall reliefs.

Dan has lived and worked in Southgate and Palmers Green for more than 20 years, setting up and running the Art Trail which put N13 and N14 on the map as a creative destination. Having witnessed numerous small businesses open and close in quick succession on Southgate and Palmers Green high streets, Dan was keen to try and help regenerate the area. Recognising that local retailers don’t have the more generous window display budgets of West End retailers, Dan decided the next best thing would be to put art in the windows to make the high streets more attractive and highlight the local talent that was yet to be unearthed.

To see more of Dan’s work visit www.extraordinarydesign.com.

Hasan Bölücek's crossing in Church Street, Enfield Town

colourful crossing in church street enfield townHasan Bölücek's design for the crossing in Enfield Town is inspired by his Alevi cultural heritage

"We Alevis believe that, life is formed from four elements. Air (purple), fire (orange), water (blue) and earth (green). Those colours on the design representing this. Pigeon or dove is holy in our culture as well (like many other cultures and beliefs.) Represents peace and freedom, which we all needed in this unusual Corona days..:) In Enfield we are living all together with this elements and symbols and especially these days everybody need to go out of the boxes.. Which represented by purple pigeon on the upper right corner."

About Hasan Bölücek

Hasan Bölücek is a member of the British Alevi community. He is a visual artist, art teacher, illustrator and mural artist born in Ankara, Turkey. He has lived and worked in London since 2008. From 2004 to 2008 he studied Fine Art and trained as an Arts & Crafts Teacher in the Fine Art Department of the Education Faculty of Gazi University, Turkey.

After moving to London, Hasan studied creative media production, heralding his arrival and exploration of his new home with a series of paintings of London landmarks. He finished his MA in Illustration and Book Arts in Cambridge School of Art. He is currently illustrating children’s books and teaching art to a variety of age groups in the British Alevi Federation.

Photo: Deirdre Barrie

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PGC Webmaster posted a reply
#5656
19 Oct 2020 15:09
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The Palmers Green crossing has now been installed, outside the Fox in Green Lanes. It was designed by Patrick Samuel.

Information about Patrick and his design from the Enfield Festivals website :

Patrick Samuel has named his design for Palmers Green "Changing Perspectives".

"Palmers Green is more than just houses, roads and parks.It is home to people of all walks of life, origins and orientations. Changing Perspectives represents the diversity of this community, its openness and attitudes... So, the artwork incorporates the colours of Pride, BLM and neurodiversity, and last but not least the many green spaces that allow us to relax and come together.

"Changing Perspectives is inspired by the works of Escher, Picasso and Haring. Bold, distinct colours, interlocking tessellations and faces you can see from any direction that show, however different our outlook on life, we’re living in the same community. Symbolically and literally, it really is about changing perspectives and I hope people enjoy and engage with it with as much pleasure as I had creating it. "

Patrick Samuel

Patrick Samuel is an exhibiting artist and musician with autism and ADHD. Having returned to art after a 20-year break, he picked up painting and drawing again when he started his daily art therapy in December 2016. A time of prolific work as well as recognition followed, and Patrick has embraced his neurodiversity as a gift rather than seeing it as a disability; he’sfound his voice and his calling.

Patrick has had several solo exhibitions and produced two albums with “neuro-diverse” music he wrote. His work and his story have been recognised in local media and featured in magazines as well as on BBC Breakfast and BBC News online. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, Patrick has been sharing his experiences at various events and conferences throughout the UK.
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#5674
24 Oct 2020 00:56
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The fourth colourful crossing is now in place, at Edmonton Green, shown here with its designer Kareen Cox. Kareen also designed the clock at Palmers Green Triangle.Some information about Kareen from https://www.enfieldfestivals.co.uk/page/edmonton-green-crossing-kareen-cox/."Kareen Cox's wonderful design for the Crossing at Edmonton Green is inspired by her love of the community in which she lives."The brief for the Edmonton crossing was to reflect the diversity of Edmonton which is one of the reasons why I love the area. Coming from a print background, I knew that the design couldn’t be too complicated but wanted to get the ethnic diversity across in the illustration. Silhouettes would have been the obvious choice but I find them a bit old hat so instead I chose to draw facial outlines that overlapped into the patterns. The result is blocks of vibrant diverse colour and lines which reflects community spirit."Kareen CoxAfter completing her degree in Design and Media, Kareen progressed into the creative field and has worked as a graphic designer for over 20 years. Her first job was at a Lithographic printers and she has since worked in publishing, design agencies and local government. She works on a freelance basis with businesses and organisations on their marketing material which covers branding, campaign work and publication design. Not content with that, she’s also a book designer, a photographer of people and places, a digital illustrator and in her own words, ‘adore’s typography’. From an early age she’s always enjoyed drawing and her love of colour, texture and pattern is reflected in the crossing design.[img width="550"]https://www.enfieldfestivals.co.uk/media/Edmonton Green crossing final.jpg[/img]
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