Shortlisted but not selected - further adventures of the Squircle
Midway through the MIMA project, which you can see more information about on my previous blog post here, I found that Southwark Council had put out a Call For Artists for a new piece of public art on the Old Kent Road Bridge. The brief was to create an inspiring piece of art, representative of the local community, and which local people and businesses could feel proud of. The brief also stipulated that new lighting for the bridge should be incorporated into the design, which I felt was perfect for a new shemza.digital artwork.
I approached the brief with the idea of using the new squircle painting app that Peter Todd and I had developed as the central part of the public programme for MIMA, which would now be turned into a painted mural and lighting design too.
Image: The creative team, Aphra Shemza, Peter Todd, Josh Moore and Joe Bullen.
After submitting an Expression of Interest for the open call I was lucky enough to be shortlisted along with 3 other artist teams. I was then awarded a budget to create my design proposal for the opportunity. In order to make my submission I needed to create a team who could consult on the project. I reached out to Josh Moore from Lawless Studio, who is an expert in mural work and Joe Bullen from Trafalgar Lighting who make amazing outdoor light displays. Peter Todd also came onboard to redesign the Squircle app to export the vector graphics we would need for the mural design. Together we researched and designed how we could make a custom light design that incorporated the squircles on the sides of the bridge. There was a site-visit where we could meet the team from the council and see the bridge itself, then subsequent meetings with Kender Primary school and the lighting and painting engineers which helped us to come up with our designs.
Image: Details of the engagement program that was submitted for the tender.
To begin the project I designed an engagement programme for two local primary schools, (Kender Primary and Pilgrims Way Primary), as well as adults from Harry Lombourn House. In the programme I would run several workshops with local students where I would teach them how to use the digital painting app and we would come up with the final squircle design to be painted on the sides of the bridge. In the case of the Harry Lombourn House, the students would be able to create their own fabric design and clothes.
Image: 3D render of our proposed Squircle bridge design for the tender. 3D design by Anna Sycheva.
For the mural we decided to paint the sides of the bridge with the squircle design created in the workshops and then install coloured gels in between the lampposts underneath the bridge. The painted railings and coloured gels placed inside the lampposts would integrate the bridge design into the natural landscape giving it wider context. The lighting was designed to throw dramatic coloured light underneath the bridge onto the concrete material continuing the lively nature of the mural from the sides to the undercarriage. It also would illuminate the mural at night along the length of the bridge.
Image: 3D render of our proposed Squircle bridge design for the tender. 3D design by Anna Sycheva.
My proposal was one of those shortlisted by the Old Kent Road team, which was an extremely exciting outcome of this process. Unfortunately, it was not the final choice this time. Congratulations to the team of local creatives chosen, Yinka Danmole, Halina Edwards and Peter Hudson! View more about the project on Southwark Council’s website here. Although this may feel like a slight disappointment, during an artist's career you apply to many opportunities where you will not be selected - and that is okay! I would still love to bring this project to life though, so if you know of any local bridges that need to be brightened up, do let me know.