Yinka Ilori: Slices of Peace
Orchard Park, Kings Hill, ME19 4TD
'Slices of Peace' is a public artwork by artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE installed in Orchard Park – a new public park in Kings Hill, near West Malling in Kent.
Community is at the heart of this installation, and I hope it brings a ‘slice of peace’ to those visiting, offering them a place to wander, reflect, and meditate within the park.
Yinka Ilori MBE
Slices of Peace is a public artwork by artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE that has been installed in Orchard Park – a new public park in Kings Hill, near West Malling in Kent.
Slices of Peace is inspired by the rich culture and heritage of Kent, in particular, its history of apple growing. The installation consists of a group of brightly-coloured, decorative apple sculptures with an accompanying soundscape composed by Peter Adjaye.
The life cycle of apples – from seed to flower to fruit – forms the basis of the playful patterns that Yinka Ilori has designed for the sculptures.
In 2021, Yinka Ilori began a three-month residency in Kings Hill, regularly visiting the area and hosting a series of events themed around the senses, with support from students at University for the Creative Arts. These culminated in a choral workshop led by sound artist Peter Adjaye, supported by jazz vocalist Randolph Matthews, based on a vocal composition written by Peter using West African ‘Call and Response’ techniques. Adjaye has created a soundscape, Freedom Sounds – Lift Every Voice, to accompany Yinka Ilori’s artwork.
Yinka Ilori was appointed as Artist in Residence in Kings Hill in 2021 as part of the Kings Hill Public Art Commission: a cultural partnership between Kings Hill development partners Liberty Property Trust and Kent County Council (KCC), Turner Contemporary, and the University for the Creative Arts (UCA), as part of a placemaking strategy by FutureCity.
Slices of Peace was curated by Turner Contemporary.
Listen to
Freedom Sounds – Lift Every Voice
About the Artists
Yinka Ilori MBE
Yinka Ilori is a London-based, British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose bold visual language draws on his heritage to convey new narratives through contemporary design.
Peter Adjaye
Peter Adjaye is a contemporary conceptual sound artist, specialising in multi-disciplinary collaborations. He is also an accomplished composer, producer, musicologist, musician, and has worked as a creative consultant in the education sector for the past 30 years.
Credits
Yinka Ilori, Slices of Peace, 2024
Three sculptures in powder-coated steel
Peter Adjaye, Freedom Sounds – Lift Every Voice, 2023
Soundscape – 7 minutes 20 seconds
For more information on the public art project, visit www.kings-hill.com/uca-turner-contemporary-public-art