Raised from the Rubble

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Built amongst the rubble of Blackhorse Yard, Lola Lely’s new project: “The Three Lions” was commissioned by Stanhope Schroders for a new mixed use development in Ruskin Square,Croydon. Lely worked with surface designer Stephanie Tudor, experimenting with the colours, details, materials and patterns inspired by the local landscape.

Lely explains:’it’s sad when something has been pulled down, as if trying to eradicate the past, but with this development, it’s history has been reborn into these lions’. The pair turned the old rubble materials from the building site into new materials using eco-resin Jesmonite, which is easy to cast and which allowed them to incorporate bricks, glass and metal shavings, blending them together.

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Not only are they sculpture, they act as seating as well. We felt that sculpture at times can be quite inaccessible – you stand at a distance, look at it and you’re not allowed to get close and touch, which kind of defeats the object of public sculpture… These lions are about giving you permission to touch, climb and do whatever you want.’
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We’re looking forward to seeing other future collaborations from this talented pair…

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