Zero Emissions Mural
“Thank you for lifting lichens out of the backwaters and bringing them into the light.”
- British Lichen Society
Clean air walks
In 2018 I was commissioned by Islington Council’s Zero Emissions Network to create a mural for a new Clean Air Walk in Archway, an initiative that is part of the Mayor of London’s clean air strategy to guide pedestrians along less-polluted routes across the city.
The mural travels between Whittington Hospital and Archway tube station, drawing the attention of hospital visitors, patients and staff to highlight a largely unknown and little-used route into the town centre, and welcoming pedestrians onto Girdlestone estate.
Follow the lichen
I was really keen to celebrate the humble lichen in this commission. Not only is it an ancient and exquisitely beautiful organism (in fact, it’s 2 different organisms working in symbiosis) but, as it extracts nutrients from the surrounding air, it is also a useful indicator of air quality. This makes it a perfect symbol for the clean air walk. The resulting design is a celebration of the many different lichen forms and colours, with intricate patterns woven in in reference to the underlying structures of the organism.
I had great fun ‘growing’ the magnified lichen forms across walls and bridges throughout the estate and even painted some of the bollards at the same time, because, well why not?! Who decided bollards should be grey, anyway?
“You’re taking the grey away”
During my fortnight working in the Estate I met many local residents, hospital visitors and staff with whom I shared the projects development as well as my enthusiasm for lichen. There were so many wonderful comments but one that stands out to me in particular came from a woman who spent some time quietly watching me paint before summing it up with a simple: “You’re taking the grey away”.
It was a privilege to contribute to such an important initiative; so many lives are shortened because of air pollution in UK cities. I hope that this mural will help to encourage pedestrians away from the busy main road in Archway, in doing so they’ll also discover a lovely small park that sits at the heart of Girdlestone Estate. And not only do I hope that the artwork attracts a few more passers-by to explore the clean air walk but also that by shining a spotlight on lichen, more people will take time to appreciate these fascinating organisms next time they pass them growing on trees, rocks or hedgerows in their local area.
Watch the behind the scenes and community reflections films created by Ellie Mackay:
The Mayor of Islington, Labour councillor Sheila Chapman, the Archway Zero Network team and Bryony Benge-Abbott opening the Clean Air Walk in Archway, 24 February 2019. Images by Steve Bainers.