Ongoing project will see shopping centre footpath adorned with colourful mural inspired by the town’s market traders

A “very dark” alleyway in Enfield Town is being brightened with a colourful new series of murals inspired by market traders.

Work began today (Friday 17th) on the latest in a series of new street artworks being supported by Arts Council England and Enfield Council as part of the ‘Curate Enfield’ programme.

The alleyway leading from Cecil Road to Palace Gardens and Palace Exchange shopping centres was chosen because of its dreariness but also its importance for generating high footfall for local shops – “acting as a bridge between the past and present of Enfield Town”.

Art students from Enfield County School were on hand to help with some of the spray-painting, while lead artist Anna Nicolò watched on.

Anna told the Dispatch: “The main reason this area was chosen was to brighten up this very dark alleyway – it is surprisingly busy, but it was just a brick wall.

“The concept [of the design] is about celebrating Enfield Town; its history, its people and its heritage. One of the main explorations is Enfield’s history as a market town going back 700 years. It is inspired by the market stalls.”

The main mural works as a carousel featuring, in the foreground, “a parade of bold silhouettes of people carrying shopping bags”, while in the background there are “illustrations portraying historical buildings, stories and events from the area, celebrate all things Enfield”.

A public survey and workshops at Enfield Town Library helped inform some of the themes for the artwork, with local people invited to contribute ideas.

Anna said: “We got lots of stories from community engagement at the public library and doing questionnaires. I came up with the concept but the themes are from the community.”

Asked how well the students got on today, she added: “It was great, they absolutely loved it, they smashed it.”

Other locations for new street art around the borough, as part of the Curate Enfield programme, include Southgate, Palmers Green and Angel Edmonton.

In Palmers Green, a new art trail has been created by The Matchbox Collective and was launched last week. It includes a mural in Green Lanes (pictured below) which was inspired by Broomfield Park and created by artist Bec Dennison.

In Southgate, a call for proposals to create a “portrait of Southgate” closed this week, with three artworks set to be delivered in Ashfield Parade, the green area beside Southgate Station, and along the pavement of Chase Side.

In Angel Edmonton, artist Rafael Klein has been selected to create a sculptural work outside Silver Street Station, which will “create a sense of welcome for residents and visitors as they arrive into the area”. Informed by the town centre’s traditional name of ‘the Angel,’ the sculpture “aims to inspire thoughts of lightness and flight”.

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