Stories Behind The Art: Block Party

The Brandon Estate in Kennington Park was in desperate need of some care and attention after it had spent years at the mercy of spray paint and graffiti. Local residents felt that the 60m stretch of wall surrounding Kennington Park represented the bygone days of gang culture and violence, a time the community were keen to leave behind. 

Brewers Decorator Centres in association with local group Bee Urban undertook an ambitious community scheme alongside the Brandon Tenants Residents Association to restore the community’s spirit and unity by painting a massive mural along a 60m wall, making it one of London’s longest murals.

Brewers Peckham store manager Jimmy Thomson was delighted to help by donating over 150 litres of Albany Paint to the community project. The Peckham store were blown away by the enthusiasm of Bee Urban’s Barnaby Shaw as his team strove to overcome the negative image created about the estate, seeking instead to highlight a very different message.

Hexagon 10 continues the celebration of all the nationalities and cultures that make up the community of the Brandon Estate. 

The colourful flags painted throughout the sky fly proudly to represent the differing nationalities of Kennington. This is complemented by a variety of indigenous musical instruments and dancing styles that blossomed from the diverse array of cultures that can be found in and around the Brandon Estate. 

From the carnival of Rio de Janeiro to the 19th century origins of the Scottish Highlands Dance, all of the styles of dancing are unified in Kennington. 

With the beats of the steel drums and the echoes of the brass bands performing in Kennington Park’s band stand, it’s hard to walk past this hexagon and not hear the harmonious melodies of a mismatch of cultures and music styles that intertwine into a buzz of energy and activity!