Kilburn Up High

What's happening? 

Brent and Camden Councils have jointly commissioned artist Linett Kamala, from Lin Kam Art and Wood Street Walls to design a public art installation for Brondesbury Bridge in Kilburn High Road.    

The commission is being funded by Brent Council’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) and funding secured by Camden Council through the Mayor of London’s High Streets for All Challenge.   

There has been fantastic local input and enthusiasm through workshops and meetings on this creative proposal, with exciting ideas and designs for a mural taking shape.

Read more about the workshops that took place and the mentorship programme for two creative residents led by Lin Kam Art.

In the Autumn of last year, ten aspiring creatives from Brent and Camden got the opportunity to take part in an educational and practical muralism academy on delivering public art. You can read more about their work here.

Update On Kilburn Up High timeline

We are currently working with Network Rail to plan the installation of the mural, which was due to be delivered by this Spring. The logistics of painting next to a busy, live rail track doesn’t come without its challenges and unfortunately there will be a delay to delivering this project.

 We are working to ensure that the mural is delivered as soon as we can, safely and in a way that minimises disruption for people and businesses in Kilburn. 

 To keep up-to-date on this project, make sure you are signed up to receive the One Kilburn news updates. 

How can I get involved?  

If you are interested in participating in this programme, please email  regenerationandplace@camden.gov.uk 

Two local artists, Daisy and Leila recently had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside artist Linett Kamala, Founding Director of Lin Kam Art.

As part of the Kilburn Up High project, the two creatives took part in a four-week mentorship programme. The project has been commissioned by Camden Council and Brent Council with support from the Greater London Authority (GLA), and is being led by Kilburn artist Linett Kamala and Wood Street Walls. They are working with local people to design and deliver a permanent artwork for Kilburn Town Centre. The mural will celebrate Kilburn’s distinctive identity, drawing on the unique local history and culture of the area. “It’s really important that the art mural speaks to the community that surrounds it in some way”, says Daisy.

The Lin Kam Art mentorships are an important part of the project and, in participating, Daisy and Leila learnt about the history of Kilburn through interactive tours, engaged with different styles of street art, met other local artists and developed their own portfolio of public artwork designs.

Both Daisy and Leila are passionate about art and were excited at the prospect of developing the skills and knowledge required to help them secure their first public art intervention. Daisy is currently studying a MA in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art and Leila has a BA degree in Fine Art.

Below, they both share their experiences of their mentorship with Linett Kamala. 

“Linett really emphasised the importance of placing yourself within the work… thinking about Kilburn high road and how I connect to it. In doing this hopefully I’m able to create a public artwork that means something to me and therefore resonates with other people as well, said Daisy.

Daisy added: “it’s really important that the art mural speaks to the community that surrounds it in some way. It’s a unique platform for displaying art and the context that each mural is in should always be considered.”

“The mentorship sessions inspired me to think more about storytelling in art, documenting the process and thinking about why you’re making the artwork.” said Leila.

“For this type of project, you need knowledge on colour theory and composition…. It will be challenging but rewarding to produce art that carries meaning to everyone in the community. I think this can be done by research and talking to people… It can also be used to honour members of the community, added Leila.   

See some of Daisy’s and Leila’s concepts below. 

The mentorship opportunity is part of the Kilburn up High mural project.

Keep up to date on this project and others in Kilburn here: Have Your Say Today - One Kilburn - Commonplace. 
 

Ten artists from Camden and Brent took part in the Kilburn Up High: Muralism Academy at the Avalon Project. The project took place from 23-27 October 2023 and was delivered by Wood Street Walls in partnership with Lin Kam Art, and Camden and Brent Councils.

The artists got the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of mural making, with practical exercises and classroom based education with former Kilburn Resident, Alessandra Grasso aka Lespleen - an artist and educator who is a specialist in public art, street art and graphic design. 

Some photos and reflections from students below!

'I liked being surrounded by like minded people and having a tutor with expertise. We had amazing, inspiring conversations'

' I enjoyed meeting people from a variety of background, skills and knowledge and age. We ended up having really valuable conversations, learning so much from each other's experiences....I also got to try something very new and learning the practicalities of organising such a community mural with various organisations and the council.'