Band of Gold, 2015

A commission to create designs for the large windows across the front and sides of a new leisure centre.

Band of Gold’ references layers of history associated to the site of the new Abbey Leisure Centre in Barking.

‘The Three Lamps’ stood at the front of The George public house situated in the exact same location back in the 17th century.

Replacing the former pub, The Captain Cook was a 1980’s public house named after the British Explorer who married at the church opposite, his original ‘sextant’ can be seen in the design along with the knotted rope linking to Barking’s fishing past.

A ‘Y’ from the old Abbey Leisure Centre logo and decorative features from the very first public baths in Barking complete the content of the repeat patterns. Workshops were held with local primary schools and community groups.

The local Active Age group provided a potted history of the whole area around the new leisure centre with their extensive knowledge and experiences, as did the Knit and Natter members who also created the embroidered golden headband which became the inspiration for the overall look of the final artwork.