Morag Myerscough’s paintings within the sky spreads eco-friendly message
Designer and artist Morag Myerscough has been enlisted to design the flags that line Oxford Street in London, using the commission as an opportunity to spread an environmental message in her signature radiant aesthetic.
The installation consists of 105 individual four-metre flags, which have been created using recycled marine plastics. Stretching from Tottenham Court Road on the east side of Oxford Street to Marble Arch in the west, the rows of overhanging flags reveal the message ‘Time for Clean Power’. It’s the first time the flags have been curated by an artist, and the first time they’ve been used to champion an environmental cause.
All images: David Parry/PA Wire
“My work is synonymous with bold colours and powerful positive messaging. It is so wonderful to see Europe’s busiest street filled with colour and hope,” Myerscough said of the project.
“With this work I wanted to put out an optimistic approach towards our future, if we work together we can help make the changes we need to happen. The oranges, greens and blues represent the sun, sea and air that we need to power ourselves to a renewable future.”
The commission sits under the Clean Power campaign running as part of the #TogetherBand climate movement – set up by sustainable fashion brand Bottletop, to encourage more sustainable design and life choices – and will eventually travel to Japan, the US, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.
The campaign is funding new rooftop solar energy in the city centre, plus a new woodland in Greater London, which people can support by buying a digital artwork by Myerscough. The campaign will similarly support environmental projects in the other stops on its world tour.
Some might find the placement of the flags along Oxford Street, home of consumerism and fast fashion, slightly ironic. The counter argument, of course, is that the flags have been strategically placed there for this very reason; let’s just hope that the crowds of shoppers remember to look up.
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