Teviot Community Green
Stepping Stones made with pupils from Manorfield Primary School
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets commissioned Artyface to make a series of ceramic stepping stones for a community green in Poplar, not far from Canary Wharf. We were asked to work with the local primary school and to liase with the boroughs architects who had drawn up plans for the park.
The area used to be well known many years ago for a pioneering block printing press that was influenced by Indian fabric printing.

We looked at images of the old fabrics and realised they were based on observational drawings of nature. Pupils research the local wildlife and drew images that were translated into block prints to make the tiles. We were influenced by the fabrics in the way that we made patterns from our images of local wildlife.

The tiles were laid into a concrete path leading from the centre of the green to the new community centre. The borough organised the hard landscaping and Artyface oversaw the placing of the 150 stepping stones. Many people use the path and the stepping stones brighten up the walk.
Children's drawings from Artyface workshops were translated into designs on ceramic tiles to echo the local history of block printing on fabric, as seen below.
A few examples of the 150 stepping stones: each one was unique
leaves made into a pattern butterflies and ladybirds a bird
foxes and clover leaves and bugs frogs and plantlife
the sun bats and pansy daffodils and wasps
thrush and a pansy butterfly, flower and plant another sun
flower pots and small flowers hedgehog and leaf caterpillar on a leaf and footprints
leaf, clover and small flower dragonfly and small flower chickens
flower swans and plants footprints
peacocks and pansies spiders with babies on their backs, wasps and clover pansies and greenery
lizards and plants peacocks and butterflies bugs, leaves, pansies and plants