Public art project bears fruit in Kings Hill
15 April, 2024
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.
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.
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.
Andrew Blevins, of Liberty Property Trust, says:
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.
Professor Terry Perk, Assistant Vice Chancellor at UCA, says:
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.
Sarah Martin, Head of Exhibitions at Turner Contemporary, says:
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.
Turner Contemporary curated the project, drawing on its experience of leading major commissions and public art projects.
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.
Liberty partnered with Kent County Council on the project and appointed placemaking and public art commissioning agency Futurecity to oversee it.
‘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.’
Notes to Editors
For press and other media enquiries please contact: press@turnercontemporary.org | 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 September 30, 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 (114 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 fulfilment.
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.
About Yinka Ilori MBE
Yinka Ilori is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose bold visual language draws on his British-Nigerian heritage to convey new narratives through contemporary design. Drawing on Nigerian parables and verbal traditions, Ilori touches on a multitude of themes that resonate with a global audience. His work is underpinned by the belief that art and design should be accessible to all. Humorous, provocative and playful, his projects demonstrate how design can bring together communities and have a positive impact on society, evoking a sense of joy and optimism. Often using the city as his canvas, he reimagines spaces to encourage a sense of community and invites audiences to engage and participate in his work and its surroundings. A graduate of London Metropolitan University’s BA in Furniture and Product Design, Ilori’s work has been showcased globally through solo and group exhibitions, public commissions and set and exhibition design.
About Turner Contemporary
Turner Contemporary is one of the UK’s leading art galleries. Founded to celebrate JMW Turner’s connection to Margate in 2001, the David Chipperfield-designed gallery opened in 2011. Our work extends beyond showcasing world-class exhibitions to driving the social and economic regeneration of Margate and East Kent and transforming lives in one of the most deprived areas of the UK.
Since it opened, Turner Contemporary has welcomed over 4.1 million visits, put over £80 million back into the Kent economy, and connected with thousands of people from the local community through our world-class programme.
