In collaboration with local community groups, Art Under The Flyover kick-started an ongoing series of arts projects and events back in 2010 with the intention of inspiring the public to improve and engage with the Cumberland Piazza, in Bristol. Located in Hotwells, the Piazza is a large, concrete-clad area below a flyover in central Bristol and has become a through-space for local residents. The area – austere, neglected and punctuated by seventy-three giant concrete pylons – had become an unwelcoming and unsightly dead zone.

Introducing the idea of transforming the area Ray Smith and Anna Wilson of the Hotwells and Cliftonwood Community Association opened discussions with the local community back in 2010 and began to consider ways in which the Piazza could be improved.

They then commissioned me to help visualise the project, which led to the forest theme. For each set of columns, a gradient of a single colour was used, ranging from light to dark. The seventy-three columns, some as high as six metres, were painted over the last few months by local volunteers in a striking colour scheme.

Taking inspiration from the idea of ‘a concrete forest’ I turned the columns into a set of simple, stylised tree artworks. The tree designs are scattered throughout the Piazza and the majority of them face into the space, to encourage a sense of discovery and shelter for visitors. As passers-by walk and cycle through the space from a variety of directions, it was important that the artworks catered for many different viewpoints. With the support of fellow artists Paul Roberts and Loch Ness, I painted thirty-three trees over the course of four days, as well as completing the work started by the volunteer painters. The result is a colourful walk-way for all to enjoy.