Bedford Road Mosaic Trail, Walthamstow: Lost Words and Local Wildlife – ten mosaics.
Seek, find and speak to conjure back words
that are no longer vivid in children’s voices,
no longer alive in their stories.
In urban environments like London we spend increasingly less time outdoors and less time connected to nature. This is an issue for so many reasons, not least because we will not enjoy and care for what we don’t know. But did you know that London is the world’s first National Park City?
“There’s all kinds of nature right on our doorstep if we stop and look,” explains Walthamstow resident Angela McDermott. “How exciting is that! And we can nurture more of it. Each and every one of us can help to make our city greener, healthier and wilder. This could be in small ways, such as taking your kids to the park or opening your windows in the morning to listen to the birds chirping. In my case, I felt inspired to work with local artist Maud Milton to create a mosaic trail that celebrates urban nature. I asked residents to name what they’d like to see on the mosaics. The only rule was that it had to be something we could find in our local streets, gardens or parks. Maud then designed ten mosaics and over a hundred residents helped to make them by imprinting tiles with leaves, flower heads and any other bits and pieces they had to hand.“
The trail is on Bedford Road E17, adjacent to Lloyd Park. You can start at either end and the mosaics are dotted along both sides of the street. Just like real wildlife, you will need to walk down the street to see what you can spot! Will it be a peacock butterfly, mushroom or something else?
The 10 colourful mosaics have been created by the Artyface Team in close partnership with the residents of Bedford Road. This vibrant project addresses the loss of vocabulary linked to nature in children living in urban environments. The mosaics are all hosted on public walls along Bedford Road, each featuring a different design:
newt
bramble
peacock butterfly
damselfly
rowan
bee
bat
fungus
goldfinch
dandelion
“The mosaics have been so well received and people who took part love looking for their tiles,” Angela goes on to explain and it’s easy to see why. They are vibrant and beautifully textured. She also hopes it helps people connect a little with urban nature.
“The mosaics look amazing! Spotting them on the way home has been my daughter’s fave thing!” says one local resident. “We also love looking out for them” explains another. “The bee is a big favourite.”
So why not pop down to Bedford Road E17 to take a look? And once you’ve found it in mosaic can you find a real one? It’s a small and beautiful way to be a part of our National Park City.
Thank you to generous funders William Morris Big Local, London Borough of Waltham Forest and to Aiden Garroty for supporting the installation. Also big thanks to all who took part and all the Artyface supporters and volunteers, donors and cheerleaders. This colourful and site specific mosaic project is a resident-led community art project.
The project was created by Angela McDermott and Maud Milton, inspired by The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane & Jackie Morris and the National Park City movement “All over the country, there are words disappearing from children’s lives. These are the words of the natural world; Dandelion, Otter, Bramble and Acorn, all gone. A wild landscape of imagination and play is rapidly fading from our children’s minds. The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration – in art and word – of nearby nature and its wonders.”