Broad Street Mural
On National Meadows Day I’m delighted to share a beautiful public realm project I’ve been involved in in Oxford city centre this past week. Brought in by the landscape architects LDA Design who have created a temporary meadow along iconic Broad Street, I was commissioned to adorn some 30 metres of road with a botanical streetscape mural to animate the shared spaces in-between meadows, lawns, trees and furniture.
I took my starting inspiration from the designs of William Morris who studied at Oxford University, and then moved between the arts and crafts movement and art nouveau as I designed a pattern of poppies, daisies, cornflowers and buttercups for this space.
Images by Chrysi Gousiou, LDA Design
Over an intense three days, assisted by local artists via Fusion Arts, I painted directly onto the tarmac in brush and spray, working alongside the construction of vast flower beds and tree planters.
It was a phenomenal project and a huge team effort, and a delight to see the space so quickly and effortlessly being used by locals gathering and playing and relaxing amongst the flowers as soon as the hoarding came down.
The plan for the site is that it will stay open for three months. During this time various events and performances will take place, starting today with The Story Museum’s Alice in Wonderland inspired event for families, so if you live in Oxford keep an eye out for happenings in Broad Meadow.
Image by Peter Watson, Broad Canvas
Image credits L-R: Peter Watson, Chrysi Gousiou, Oxford City Council
If you’re not based in Oxford, this short video by Quagmi offers a wonderful sense of what it is like to explore Broad Meadow: