A street art mural is being created to encourage visitors to Whittington Hospital to take a less polluted route through Archway and discover a ‘peaceful green space’ in the centre of a housing estate.
The mural, which is being painted by Bryony Benge-Abbott, is entitled ‘Follow the Lichen’ and is located on two walls in Girdlestone Estate that are opposite the main entrance to Whittington Hospital.
Ms Benge-Abbott, who runs the art studio Bryony&Bloom, said that the inspiration for choosing lichen as the theme of the artwork came from how “lichen can be a key indicator of how polluted an area is”. The mural entices people to walk through Girdlestone Park as part of the Clean Air Walk which is being promoted by Archway Zero Emissions Network.
Members of the public have been complimentary about the artwork with one woman saying that the mural was “taking the grey away” which Ms Benge-Abbott said reflected how “people are crying out for colour in urban city environments”. She also said that she hoped the project would help “bring people in closer contact with the natural environment”. Barring any weather-related issues, the artwork is expected to be completed next weekend.
The artwork was commissioned by the Archway Low Emissions Neighbourhood and the value of public art projects was emphasised by Ms Benge-Abbott who said: “If artists can share the awe and wonder of the natural world in new and surprising ways hopefully that can encourage people to value it a bit more, as it is so easy to have your head down and ignore green spaces when living in a man-made world.”
Progress of the mural can be followed on social media @BryonyandBloom on both Instagram and Twitter.
