Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail launched in Camden

The Old Diorama Arts Centre has launched the Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail, featuring 12 site-specific installations by 10 artists and collectives.

These installations, which include 28 new public artworks, celebrate the culture, ecology, and heritage of the estate.

These installations, which include 28 new public artworks, celebrate the culture, ecology, and heritage of the estate. (Image: Old Diorama Arts Centre)

The Story Trail will celebrates the people and places of the 1950s estate through 11 works of art.

It was planned to start in Stanhope Street, with a map encouraging visitors to find the different artworks.

The second stop is Regent’s Place, Drummond Street, where a teleidoscope and kaleidoscope sculpture created by artist Alisa Ruzavina is placed.

A similar sculpture by the artist will also be created in Cumberland Market.

A light projection features on flats in Munster Square and Laxton Place, where the shadows of those walking past are part of the art.

Three chewing gum sculptures also feature in Munster Square, created by members of the local LGBTQ+ community in celebration of the secret Queer bar that was housed nearby in the basement Crypt of the Church of St Mary Magdalene in the 1960s.

The Story Trail has evolved over the years, with input from thousands of residents and the collaboration of various organisations. (Image: Old Diorama Arts Centre)

A pink light would also shine from a drain on the pavement outside the church on evenings in October through to December, for one week each month.

Nearby, the fifth artwork of the trail will feature pictures of Regent’s Park Estate residents captured by photographer Brendan Barry.

The Pangboune Meadow area, once a site of anti-social behaviour on the estate, will be the home of a new mural featuring bright colours and symbols of local wildlife.

AI tree root sculptures will next be placed near a tree in Clarence Gardens.

The trail is a community-driven project, with residents selecting the locations for each artwork. (Image: Old Diorama Arts Centre) These undulating sculptures will look like the tree’s roots are pushing up through the ground.

The trail is a community-driven project, with residents selecting the locations for each artwork. 

Daniel Pitt, creative director and chief executive of the Old Diorama Arts Centre, said: “The launch of the Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail marks four years since the reinvention of Old Diorama Arts Centre began.

“It encapsulates everything that ODAC is about: deeply and ambitiously community-led, collaborative and participatory.”

The Story Trail was developed in collaboration with Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and Camden Council.

It aims to promote local pride, safety, and connection through public artworks.

Neighbourhood curator Rukshana Begum said: “We are lucky to live here, it really is like a family.”

The project was initiated by resident Marie, who proposed the idea of discovering more about the area through the Regent’s Park Community Champions.

The Story Trail has evolved over the years, with input from thousands of residents and the collaboration of various organisations. (Image: Old Diorama Arts Centre) The project is a response to the changes the estate is undergoing due to the development of HS2 and the wider Euston area.

Councillor Adam Harrison, deputy leader of Camden Council and cabinet member for planning and a sustainable Camden, said: “The Story Trail is a fantastic example of what we can achieve when we empower our communities to shape where they live.

“It has tapped into the wealth of creativity, imagination and pride on the Regent’s Park Estate, and rightly celebrates the estate as a place where creativity, culture and community continue to thrive.”