Public art project bears fruit in Kings Hill

A five-metre high, multi-coloured artwork celebrating Kent’s agricultural heritage has been unveiled in Kings Hill, near West Malling.

The artwork is the creation of renowned artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE and has been installed in the community’s latest public open space, Orchard Park.

The installation, called ‘Slices of Peace’, is the culmination of Ilori’s tenure as Kings Hill’s Artist in Residence. A multi-sensory piece of work, it comprises one giant apple, flanked by two smaller apples as well as a soundtrack by sound artist Peter Adjaye. It was developed in conjunction with Turner Contemporary, students from University for the Creative Arts (UCA) and Kings Hill residents who took part in a series of community workshops.

The opening event on Friday 12 April gave the Kings Hill community the opportunity to meet the two artists as well as representatives of the organisations that partnered on the project. In addition to the artwork, attendees were able to view an exhibition by UCA students in the Kings Hill Control Tower Gallery.

Commenting on the event, Ilori said: “The very first time I visited Kings Hill I was struck by its rich history, its sense of community and its location at the heart of the Garden of England.

“It has been a joy to work with the project partners and the Kings Hill community in bringing this commission to reality – and I thank all of them for their input. I am delighted to see the finished work now in situ and becoming a focal point for the community.”

The apples – made from laser cut, powder coated steel – were constructed off site by Firecracker Works and anchored onto concrete plinths. The larger apple is more than 5m in diameter to accommodate people inside it, and the smaller apples are 700mm in diameter. ‘Slices of Peace’ will be the final significant public art commission to be installed in Kings Hill.

Andrew Blevins, of Kings Hill developer Liberty Property Trust, said: “This sculpture is the culmination of a 30-year development project between us and Kent County Council to transform an 800 acre brownfield site – the former RAF West Malling airfield – into the vibrant Kings Hill we have today.

“Public art has been central to our philosophy right from the beginning, helping to forge an identity for the evolving community and instilling a sense of pride in the area. As Kings Hill nears completion, ‘Slices of Peace’ helps represent all that has been achieved and the vision of the people who originally conceived of this community.”

The sculpture was designed to be site-specific to Orchard Park, which also conserves a rare national monument – a Pickett Hamilton fort from WWII – and features a Kentish ragstone amphitheatre for outdoor performances.

Turner Contemporary curated the project, drawing on its experience of leading major commissions and public art projects.

Sarah Martin, Head of Exhibitions, said: “It was wonderful to work alongside an artist as passionate and talented as Yinka, who brings such colour, energy, and enthusiasm to his practice.

“The three individual apple-shaped structures that form the sculpture reflect Kent’s rich culture and heritage, and the county’s history of apple growing. ‘Slices of Peace’ represents a space for community celebration and an area for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together to create new memories and share in new experiences. The installation aims to promote wellbeing, inspire a sense of belonging, and celebrate joy and positivity.”

The Control Tower Gallery exhibition produced by the UCA students contains a selection of key artefacts representing the work that has gone into the artwork’s creation. Open to the public until Friday, 19 April, it includes a site model of Orchard Park and the artwork, the textile resulting from the community stitching workshop, a timeline of key photographs and drawings from across the project, and a video of an interview with Yinka Ilori. The exhibition gives an insight into the overall development of the installation and can be viewed by contacting cbinns@prologis.com.

UCA’s Assistant Vice Chancellor, Professor Terry Perk, said: “The project involved our students and alumni in a variety of tasks, supporting the development and delivery of the commission. As well as curating the accompanying exhibition, their role included assisting with the community workshops that helped inform the artwork and working with Yinka to produce a site model in his studio.

“Working with an artist of his stature provided them with an opportunity to explore new ideas and learn new skills for supporting their studies, future practices, and their eventual careers.

Liberty partnered with Kent County Council on the project and appointed placemaking and public art commissioning agency Futurecity to oversee it.

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Notes to Editors

For press and other media enquiries please contact:

Email : press@turnercontemporary.org

Phone : 01843 233 000

Liberty Property Trust UK Limited is part of the Prologis group of companies (NYSE:PLD).

About Prologis

Prologis, Inc. is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. At December 31, 2023, the company owned or had investments in, on a wholly owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet (115 million square meters) in 19 countries. Prologis leases modern logistics facilities to a diverse base of approximately 6,700 customers principally across two major categories: business-to-business and retail/online fulfillment.

About Liberty Property Trust UK Ltd and Kent County Council

Liberty Property Trust UK Ltd is developing Kings Hill – www.kings-hill.com – as a rapidly growing sustainable community in line with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), ensuring economic, environmental and social progress for this and future generations. Kings Hill combines commercial, residential, educational, retail, community, sports and leisure uses within 800 acres of highly landscaped low-density parkland and aims to promote quality of life by providing a unique environment in which people can live, work, play and study. In addition to providing accommodation for SME’s, Kings Hill also attracts significant international tenants such as Rolex, Cabot Financial, Marsh and Arthur J Gallagher.

Liberty Property Trust UK and Kent County Council formed a collaborative public/private sector venture to develop Kings Hill as an exemplar mixed-use community.  Kings Hill is the County’s flagship development for attracting inward investment and promoting regional economic growth.