Regent’s Park Estate may be another social housing estate in London, but there’s a fresh, new reason to explore this brutalist beauty thanks to an awe-inspiring art trail entitled that’s completely taken over the area.
The Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail involved working with over 1600 residentsto commission 10 artists and collectives to make 12 site-specific installations, debuting 28 new public art works to discover.
Regent’s Park Estate is the London Borough of Camden’s largest social housing community, with a diverse population of over 12,000 people.
The locals have been seeing some major changes to the area, with the ongoing HS2 project causing hundreds of homes and green spaces to be lost. However, this project has taken some of the HS2 funding to add some vibrancy to the estate, aiming to boost local pride and celebrate community.
Each of the chosen locations offer distinctive architectural, historical and social contexts to respond to, such as Everton Mews, the gateway into the estate which has experienced anti-social behaviour including fly tipping; or Munster Square, an area with a fascinating history such as the LGBTQ+ bar that was sited beneath St Mary Magdalene Church.
One highlight of the public art works is Unwritten by Polish artist Rafał Zajko (pictured above). excavating the history of a clandestine LGBTQ+ bar located underneath the previously mentioned church during the 1970s. The bio-concrete sculpture is modelled on chewed gum donated by members of the local LGBTQ+ community.
Another must-see work is the Regent’s Park Portrait by photographer Brendan Barry (photoed below), which has transformed an entire room in an apartment into a camera obscura using portraits of local people.
Daniel Pitt, creative director and chief executive, ODAC said in a statement: “This public art trail is equally artistically and socially ambitious. Each of the commissions offer a radical vision of what public art can do, inviting local residents into the heart of the creative process and deeply embedding artists into the community.”
The Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail officially launches on April 24th with a free community party. The project is a labour of love, driven by the local residents with support from the Old Diorama Arts Centre, Central Saint Marins, and Camden Council.