West Ham United’s former football club, the Old Boleyn Ground, has come alive for two days only at Barratt London’s Upton Gardens development, Newham, depicted in a life size 3D anamorphic street painting by world renowned artist, Joe Hill from ‘3D Joe and Max’.
The pavement painting, measuring a massive five by three meters, was unveiled this morning by neighbouring Upton primary school students at St Edward’s, who were also treated to an exclusive lesson from Joe on how to draw the perfect hole-in-the-ground illusion.
Artist Joe was inspired by West Ham United’s anthem ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ when coming up with the concept, which encourages people to take photos of themselves either balanced on top of, or trapped inside, a giant bubble floating out of a crack in the earth that looks down to a flash back of the old stadium in its glory days.
Tomorrow [Saturday 25th September] the general public can get their own selfies with the illusion, which will be on display from 10.30am to 2.30pm outside Barratt London’s Upton Gardens sales suite: 1, Academy House, Thunderer St, London, E13 9DP. Barratt London is encouraging people to interact and take photographs using the hashtag #StreetArtUpton.
Joe, who has travelled the world from New York to Shanghai creating his unique 3D street art, said: “I love creating artwork that is completely interactive, and that especially ignites people’s imaginations who not might normally take a second glance. The picture allows people to jump on it, play with it, come up with different poses; it’s a unique way to celebrate the area’s incredible sporting legacy.”
58 pupils attended the unveiling from Year 6 and got to see Joe finish off his masterpiece in situ. Paul Underwood, Headteacher at St Edward’s Catholic Primary School, said “The students’ current Art topic is ‘Street Art’, so the timing couldn’t be better. After a year of learning from home, it’s fantastic to give kids the opportunity to see things like this happen in real life, appreciate the scale of the project, and get them genuinely engaged and inspired. They thoroughly enjoyed the morning, and I am sure will be sharing a few bubble selfies as we speak! We would like to thank Barratt London for allowing us to be part of this celebration.”
The Boleyn Ground was home to the football club from 1904 until 2016, when West Ham moved to new grounds in Stratford. Today, Barratt London’s Upton Gardens development continues to commemorate this key part of social history for the community, where celebrated World Cup hero Bobby Moore was a former player. A bubble themed sculpture sits along Legacy Walk – the green public throughway at the centre of the scheme – alongside a grassed area from which the turf originates from the stadium’s memorial grounds.
Pam Reardon, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt East London, comments: “The street art is our way of celebrating and remembering the epic sporting shoes that once walked these grounds, whilst giving local students a fun, interactive learning opportunity. We have embraced the site’s footballing heritage all over the development, with the theme for the entire public realm being ‘bubbles’. The connection is even embedded in the design of the lattice work on the balconies and seen in the wider circular shaped landscaping. It’s a really special scheme and one that we’re very proud of.”
