King George's Park
Yemi Awosile, Domestic Motif
Yemi Awosile was commissioned by Tideway to create an artwork for the new public realm site at King George’s Park. The resulting artwork, Domestic Motif, comprises sand-cast bronze elements that adorn either side of a mechanical and electrical building and are inspired by furnishing fabric and domestic spaces.
The permanent Tideway commissions respond to the site-specific narratives set out in the Tideway Heritage Interpretation Strategy (HIS). The theme for the West section of the tunnel is ‘Recreation to Industry: Society in Transition’ with the site-specific narrative for the King George’s Park site referencing the emergence of public social policies covering housing, welfare, health, and well-being, which formed part of a 20th-century modernist vision of urbanism.
In the 16th century, the River Wandle, which forms part of the eastern boundary of King George’s Park, was a hub for activities connected to textile dye works and production facilities linked to linen, leather, iron and copper industries.
Yemi’s inspiration for the commission drew on this textile heritage and it’s role in domestic spaces, and re-purposes some of the tactile sensibilities associated with interior environments by placing them outside in the park setting. Titled Domestic Motif, the artwork is influenced by patterns found in furnishing fabric and wallpaper from the 1920s and 1930s, the time period when the park was originally opened. It has been cast in gunmetal bronze – a colour associated with natural dyed linen – and resembles both fabric and water by mimicking the movement and fluid forms associated with the river.
In researching bronze sculpture, the artist came across Henry Moore’s The Draped Seated Figure, which the London County Council purchased as part of a drive to bring modern art to urban areas and promote Britain’s post-war social recovery. Moore’s sculpture is also relevant to this site's heritage.
