Furniture designer Gareth Neal is creating playful pop-up picnic sites for the Vauxhall Collective. These picnics are sited in reclaimed urban spaces during a two day event held in two East London locations.
The Urban Picnic
Saturday 28th August: Wallis Road, Hackney Wick, London E9 5LN
Sunday 29th August: Elys Yard, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane E1 6QL
In collaboration with the Vauxhall Collective, Neal followed the brief of ‘The Great British Weekend’ to devise a range of playful objects and furniture to bring urban dwellers out into the sun, with the aim of recreating the essence of a British childhood.
Neal’s project (as chosen by a panel of industry experts), transforms stretches of tarmac into grassy, interactive spaces featuring objects veneered in birch and traditional British timbers. Playful tools with intricate patterns hone in on the traditional craft theme to encourage ping pong, hula hoops and egg and spoon races.
On the 28th August, the originally secret location has recently been announced to take place on Wallis Road in Hackney Wick. The next day, the event will take place in Elys Yard at the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Both locations reference the lost furniture manufacturing industry the areas were once praised for.
Gareth Neal is a member of the Vauxhall Collective, an initiative sponsored by Vauxhall Motors. www.vauxhallcollective.co.uk
All images are taken by Sophie Mutevelian: Gareth Neal picnic table; Gareth Neal log benches; Gareth Neal ping pong bats.
Tags Gareth Neal | The Great British Weekend | The Urban Picnic | The Vauxhall Collection
