Pattern of Pymmes
Upper Edmonton, North London
September 2021
The 34Bus Collective for this project are Amy Dolan, Liv Wright and Alistair Leys
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. 34Bus consulted with various local groups including Friends of Pymmes Park, Age UK, Edmonton Community Partnership, Starks Field and Fleecefield primary schools to gather ideas for a design. In the final stage of idea development, five design focus group sessions were held 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. 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.
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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.
In Collaboration with
