About

‘Colours of Home’ is a multi-venue public art installation for Aberfeldy, co-created by the local community in Poplar and artist Lola Lely. Commissioned by property developer EcoWorld London and housing association Poplar HARCA, it is part of a wider community-led programme co-created with local people to celebrate Aberfeldy’s rich community history and knowledge, alongside the area’s evolution as a hub for innovators and social enterprises. The installation enlivens Aberfeldy from May to July with a series of banners created using a colour palette of natural dyes, developed in free community workshops held last year.

Lola has worked with a range of collaborators, producing the banners through low-waste, hyper-localised processes. From the hemp cloth screen-printed with natural dyes produced by foraging in the local area, to the wax treatment of the fabric that adds a level of protection against the elements, this project is pioneering in its embrace of techniques that seek to minimise the environmental impact of a large-scale installation in the public realm. The results are both beautiful and inspiring, with motifs inspired by natural and architectural features of the local area.

This thoughtful design and the experimental processes involved not only demonstrate Lola’s achievements as a maker whose work focuses on interconnection between the natural world and material culture, but also provide an opportunity to reflect on the inherent sustainability of large-scale public art installations, providing a model of how these could be achieved differently in the future.

From the main outdoor public art installation at East India Green, follow the Colours of Home Materials Trail through Aberfeldy Street to the indoor exhibition at Works Cafe in Poplar Works. The Oxbow Marketing Suite on Abbott Road, E14 0ND, will house a pop-up exhibition. Drop in between 10.00am to 6.00pm from the 9th to the 13th May to learn more about the artist’s making process.