Embroidery

The public space at Moor House is for a piece of embroidery that expresses the secret longings of the old oak tree in the centre of the space.

The tree used to stand in the middle of a roundabout, and with the rationalising of the junction, it now finds itself with new neighbours as part of a large public space.

Now the tree wants to reach out to communicate with its surroundings: to cradle the lawns, to tickle the bus stop, and present itself to the phone boxes. It reveals these desires in the language of embroidery.

Image of Proposal

Moor House Public Space,
City of London

with Street Scene, City of London Corporation (2007/8)

We were asked by the City of London to develop a design to put to use a substantial public space created by the Corporation of London’s scheme for altering the junction of London Wall and Moorgate.

The objectives of the design are to create a coherent urban space by dividing up the existing “street”and grassy knoll in favour of a web of spaces. The character of these spaces is more green and calm under the tree to the east, which is already a natural holding spot, and less dense to allow the busy flow of pedestrians to the west.

The proposal is akin to a piece of embroidery that reveals gestures or musings emanating in five branches from the existing old oak tree. Incorporating raised lawns and two additional oak trees, the five branches begin at the base of the existing oak, move around the lawns and reach out arriving before the crossings, building entrances, signposts, and the bus. The pattern has also been arranged to take into account the locations of the numerous service covers, and maintain the integrity of the existing drainage system.

An embroidered surface is proposed as it is able to bring the space together, create a strong visual and tactile identity in all seasons, and not interrupt the busy flow of pedestrians through the site. Expressed with metal studs embroidered into the existing stone paving, the pattern is able to incorporate other elements such as the raised lawns and furniture and retain the existing York stone.