UP Projects Stop and Smell the Flowers by Holly Graham

This new artwork takes the form of a collaged image that has been painted onto a prominent flank wall and tackles the climate emergency through the lens of access to clean air and green space – calling for greater awareness and action. To visit please take the Northern Line and alight at Edgware station. The mural is located directly outside the station at 158 Station Road, HA8 7AW.

The project has been developed through a participatory process involving over 75 young people local to Edgware through a series of workshops led by Holly Graham. During these workshops young people learned how to use creative wordplay and collage to create their own advertising posters that promoted a vision for a green future for Edgware. Sessions were held with FUSE Youth group at Stonegrove Community Trust, Year 4 students at Edgware Primary School, and Year 10 students at Northgate School, as well as at a drop-in session for the public at Edgware Library. 

The final artwork references an archival billboard image and incorporates the words ‘Stop and Smell the Flowers’ a slogan taken from a poster created by Teodora, a local young person who participated in the workshops. This phrase not only highlights the importance of taking time out to enjoy nature but also bears reference to the idiom "wake up and smell the coffee" meaning to realise the truth about one's situation.

The artwork is complemented by a digital campaign developed in collaboration with Clean Air Barnet and Middlesex University that further looks to inspire people to take action displayed on a digital advertising screen run by JC Decaux UK. 

A temporary installation showcasing scaled up versions of the campaign posters created by local young people during the engagement workshops was unveiled in November 2023 at 158 Station Road. The posters represented a curated selection of over 50 posters that were created by young people local to Edgware during the workshop process.  Accompanying the installation was a display of images from the workshops which were showcased on a digital billboard located directly in front of the wall.   

A mural working group consisting of representatives from TFL, Ballymore, Barnet Council, British BIDs and Stonegrove Community Trust have been involved in supporting the ongoing development of this project from the start.

Thank you to the young people who took part in the project as well as FUSE Youth Project, Stonegrove Community Trust, Edgware Primary School, Northgate School, Edgware Library, JC Decaux, Barnet Local Studies & Archives, HUT Architecture, Places for London, Clean Air Barnet and Middlesex University. Mural painted by Anysurface.

This project has been commissioned by Barnet Council and is a part of 100 Years of Station Road, a wider series of artist-led activities curated by UP Projects that explore the role creative practice can play in bringing communities together and activating the High Street. 

Further Resources

Barnet Council's Air Quality Action Plan 2023 - 2028

This report outlines the actions that Barnet will deliver between 2023 and 2028 to reduce concentrations of and exposure to air pollution to positively impact the health and quality of life of residents and visitors to the borough. To read it, click here.

To find out more about what Barnet Council are doing to become net zero carbon please click here.

Clean Air Barnet Reports

Clean Air Barnet is a community collaboration between Friends of the Earth Barnet, Middlesex University and Mothers CAN that aims to promote and enable evidence-based conversations, decisions and actions that lead to improved air quality. To learn about air pollution and check our air quality, click here.