A new mosaic artwork was unveiled last week near the Finsbury Park station entrance at City North.
This is the second mosaic that artist Carrie Reichardt has created for the area. Last year she completed the station’s Elm Tree of Life mosaic with fellow artists ATM and Karen Francesca after winning the 2018 City North commission.
Ms Reichardt went solo for this new piece, which was privately commissioned by the Business Design Centre Group (BDCG) to honour Sam Morris, founder of BDCG and City Industrial Limited (CIL).
BDCG chief executive Dominic Jones, said: “The idea behind the mosaic was to celebrate the fact that on the original site of City North sat a family run business, CIL.
“[The business] began its life in the 1950s and has always had its roots in the borough of Islington, and still does today, through the Business Design Centre.
“We wanted to mark this and to share with the people of Finsbury Park some of the great history the area holds within it.
“Hopefully, this mosaic will be seen in the context of the other large mosaic in City North Place and can be enjoyed together.”
Similarly to the Elm Tree of Life, this new mosaic “ceramic tapestry” contains a variety of tiles, including ones with vintage photos transferred and screen-printed onto them.
Discussing the work, Ms Reichardt said: “It’s supposed to be evocative of the 60s, 70s and 80s. I think it’s really important that visually we remember the past because things are changing so rapidly. I call myself an archivist ceramicist because I think it’s important to show all this old imagery.”
She added: “Usually I do this work from a grassroots point of view about people whose stories don’t always get told. This piece is slightly different because it’s a private commission.
“So, I tried to balance the CIL family photos with old vintage photos of the area to make sure that anyone walking by would have an appreciation of it, which, luckily, everyone I saw did! Passers-by see it as another piece of art that reflects local history.”
Reichardt’s mosaics are visible all over the UK and her work will next be exhibited at the Between Frames exhibition at The Factory Project in East London from October 9-22.
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