Gandhi-Chaplin mural

Challenge

The pocket park Gandhi-Chaplin Memorial Garden in Canning Town, East London had a space for a new entrance sign. The site had historical significance being close to the meeting place of Gandhi and Chaplin in 1931.

Inspiration

Chaplin’s film Modern Times, the Pathé reel of the meeting at the time, ghost signs in the area, and a long-lost art deco cinema in the area.

Solution

Using the title card designs from Pathé newsreels, I decided that a black and white approach would be bold and match the time period when the meeting took place. I created linework from the last existing photos of the Odeon cinema in Barking Road, which was closed after being bombed in World War II. I also designed a GC monogram for each decorative corner of the artwork.

Process

After using a clear masonry glaze, I painted the wall white, with black rectangle the same ratio as the newsreels of the time. I painted all white linework and text using a signpainters enamel paint.

Links

Pathé footage from the meeting

Odeon cinema