#hackneypeacecarnivalmural

Have you spotted the Garden’s 'Hackney Peace Carnival Mural' inspired display, ‘This is Hackney’, in the window of Dalston’s CLR James Library? Do you recognise any of the characterful faces?

Since last year we’ve been exploring the Mural in creative workshops with older people, young people and children from nearby Holy Trinity Primary School. The display in the Library brings together all of their lovingly crafted and incredibly detailed individual models in a re-imagined ‘peace carnival scene’. 

The Mural was designed by Ray Walker and painted by Anna Walker and Mick Jones and this year Roland Walker, the son of Ray and Anna worked with the Garden, Hackney Council, Hackney Archives, and other local organisations to celebrate the 40th anniversary of this iconic piece of public art.

Throughout the Garden’s project, participants of all ages shared their stories of living in Hackney, both 40 years ago when the Mural was first painted, and today. They spoke about their feelings around their own identities and representation, which were further explored as they each crafted the details of their own unique models.

Now they stand united together, in all their diversity, surrounded by some of their own words about the Mural, about community activism, about Hackney and about peace. 

Many thanks to artist educators Laura Halliwell & Corinne Beaty for their brilliant work on ‘This is Hackney’ and to Amirah Samer, Sasha Vinnicombe, Ruby Cowmeadow & Jen White for their model-making and research work. Thanks to Alex Bogdan, Sandra Keating & Morgan Dumitru for their lovely photographs.

The project was supported by ‘Cultural Hackney’. The display will remain in CLR James Library until the end of 2025.