projects

Fox Passage Mosaic: situated off the eastern side of the north end of Kensington Church Street, opposite Waterstones, this 35 sq. metre mosaic mural is clearly visible to the local community and was designed and constructed by over 100 young people at Fox Primary School in Kensington Place. It was funded by Barclays Bank, Scottish & Newcastle, Cherry Tree Residents Association, RBK&C "Brighten Up the Borough" fund, Hill Magazine and local businesses. The lighting was by Land Securities Properties Ltd. The project was organised by Westway Projects in partnership with the Notting Hill Gate Improvements Group and Fox School.

Pembridge Piazza: Situated outside W H Smith on the corner of Notting Hill Gate and Pembridge Road, W11. This included the planting of plane trees with uplighting at night, the procurement of three contemporary design benches (designed by Innes Ferguson), and the repaving of the area. This work was completed in 1994.

Newcombe Piazza: Situated outside Waterstones on the corner of Notting Hill Gate and Kensington Church Street, W8. This included the planting of a plane tree with purpose-designed hexagonal seating around it (by Phillip Pigott), the procurement of three contemporary design benches, to match those on the Pembridge Piazza, the provision of four planters with trees, Kensington pattern bollards (donated by the Cast Iron Co) and the repaving of the area (by RBK&C); Land Securities plc provided the "water wall" and the two new staircases leading up to Newcombe House with new lighting. This work was completed in 1998 but, sadly, the waterfall has not been a success. The entire area was repaved and the BT phone boxes were moved and aligned beside Waterstones.

Czech Corner Garden: Situated at the junction of Notting Hill Gate and Palace Gardens Terrace, the lovely soft landscaping contrasts well with the curvaceous concrete walls and Vaclav Vokolek's superb "Haiku" stainless steel sculptures magnificently fabricated by Cekov Prague. Much consternation has been expressed as to the meaning of Vaclav's mysterious "sculptures parlants". Vaclav has written a scintillating essay on this, which is reproduced below. The professional team most generously gave their services free.

WHY A SCULPTURE? WHY HAIKU? WHY FROM STEEL? To answer questions means always to unveil secrets, to reveal something, to say something inappropriate, to give away the punch line, to fly to explain the inexplicable. The reply provoked by the question is made up of course of words and each word conceals in its eye a sizeable stock of wholly incommunicable secrets. In them alone rests the meaning of words which we foolish people regard as a means of communication. Words without doubt reach beyond us. In us they often only resonate and then come alive in infinite associations. And so, on the indiscernible surface of our existence they create an image in which the whole world is reflected indistinctly; its purpose, order and meaning. We define the world; it addresses us in the same words. Poetry and therefore haiku plays an essential role in this process as it is precisely what is not said. What is unspoken, what is hinted at and what is kept quiet which is the most important. Words are suddenly only so many points of reference which create space which the reader fills out with his own thoughts, his own imagination, his own ability to dream Haiku is however, not just an original poetic form. It is a reflection of a universal sensitivity, of afar wider view on the world. It leads on to create but also to doubt about its meaning. For this reason haiku can be a landscape, a starless night, a summer sky, a bird song, rushing water and sculpture- A sculpture from steel! A few words here cut through the hardness of the metal, a few words quivered on the shiny surface, a few words sank into the memory of the steel Three columns perhaps three open books, three metal sheets rebounding from the inhumanity of concrete, perhaps three pairs on butterfly wings. The shadows of the letters intertwine with the obstinately assertive content of the word and fly to lay down in the midst of the greenery between the stones because even this steel haiku is surrounded by a small island of nature. Whatever you see, may there be flowers. Whatever you think, let the moon be there. That is how Basho the master of haiku defined it. You cannot say it in a better way. By their content or more likely their statement the above mentioned sculptures are breaths of air, reflections, echoes, hints, the ungraspable. After all this is haiku ...

HANGING FLOWER BASKETS These make an enormous difference to the urban scene and we are very keen to extend these bright spots to more lampposts in the area. Baskets are installed by Greenscene (0181-993 9808) and cost £121.50 for installation, £3 per week for all year round planting and maintenance and £50 for a large sponsorship plaque. We wish to thank warmly the following who have supported this initiative: JMW Barnard, The Champion, The Churchill Arms, Crown Business Communications Ltd, Futon Ltd, The Gate Cinema, Haslam & Whiteway Ltd, J U Kitchens, The Mall Tavern, McDonalds (2), Midland Bank (2), National Westminster Bank, Notting Hill Arts Club, The Gate Cinema, Patrick Sandberg, The Kensington Church Street Antique Dealers Association (14), Brathew Ltd (3), The Pembridge Road Association (10), W H Smith (2). Please contact us to extend these "Sunny spots of greenery".

Wind Sculpture "CLIMBER" by Peter Logan. This fascinating kinetic sculpture is fixed to the blank Portland stone wall 50 metres to the west of Waterstones. NHIG donated £22,500 and Land Securities £32,500 towards the £55,000 cost.

The McMahon Mural Cleopatra's Alley. The dark conduit linking Notting Hill Gate and Victoria Gardens should be renamed "Art Alley". On the west side, Europe's most illustrious contemporary artist - Damien Hirst has opened his "Pharmacy" restaurant . On the east, the work of another great emerging muralist of Notting Hill - Barney McMahon. Barney has recently graduated form the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and is as passionate a devotee of the mural art form as the great Mexican Diego Rivera. This magnificent vibrant and colourful panoramic melange of the fascinating diversity of people and property in the area will be a major landmark. We are much in debited to Mr Ken Rumens of Simpson's Paints for his excellent advice and generous donation of all the paint and Land Securities for the York stone paving and quality lighting.

ALCOHOL ABUSE PROJECT Great anxiety has been expressed, by many, that the habitual and disgusting behaviour of "winos" on the excellent Innes Ferguson-designed benches present the very antithesis of the quality environment we are seeking to create. Some have felt that our large Art plans will be wasted if the basic requirement of a clean and tidy environment is not created first. Currently, a project is in place involving co-ordination between the Police (WPC Karen Smith 0181-246-0196) and RBK&C Social Services outreach workers. Notices have been placed to discourage street drinkers, agreements not to sell alcohol reached with local shops. We are much in need of public support for this initiative.

Proposed Public Art Projects:

Spiers & Major - CZECHPOINT

David Ward - THE TREE LINE

Ron Haselden - LIBERTE

Professor Dante Leonelli - VIDEO WATERWALL

Professor Dante Leonelli - ECO HALO

John Mooney - THE MAGNOLIA - MURALS/SCULPTURES

Richard Wilson - UP FOR AIR

The Cornet Cinema - RESTORATION

William Furlong - ECONVERSATION ALLEY

Nadim Karam - THE ARCHAIC PROCESSION

Langlands & Bell - EURBAN STREAM/SLIPSTREAM - THE LONGEST BENCH

Thomas Heatherwick - THE HAIRY BUILDING

Bill Woodrow - CENTRAL CLOCK

Albert Paley - CONVERGENCE

Liliane Lijn - THE KENSINGTON KONE

Piers Gough - UNDERGROUND LAVATORIES

W S Atkins/Dr Farshid Kamali - ROAD IMPROVEMENTS