Nigeria-inspired installation will greet visitors and rail commuters.
A massive new art installation will welcome residents and visitors to Milton Keynes city centre every time they step off a train.
That’s the aim of MK City Council who, in partnership with Milton Keynes Development Partnership, have commissioned the large-scale artwork in the newly renovated Station Square.
They have asked Yinka Ilori MBE – known for his dynamic and playful work – to create the art, which will ‘fill the square with colour that captures the dynamism of one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK’.
‘Walk With Your Dreams’ will set the scene for anyone stepping into the city from the railway station and will be integrated into Station Square’s flooring. Inspired by Nigerian textile patterns, it aims to make the expansive space more welcoming, sociable and inspiring, while reflecting the character of the city.
The installation, ready by October, will also help to direct pedestrians arriving at the station towards the two underpasses that lead from Station Square to the city centre, and this was an important part of MKDP’s brief.
London-born Yinka has taken inspiration from the symmetry and geometry of Milton Keynes’ US-style grid system, which famously makes it one of the most navigable cities in the UK and interprets this through the lens of textile patterns created by the traditional Yoruban dyeing technique, Àdìrẹ.
“With a thriving Nigerian community and growing arts scene, Milton Keynes is a location that aligns with my values of bringing art to wider audiences and to fostering connection and community,” said Yinka.
“Despite the fast-paced environment of the station, I hope the artwork will inspire people to stop for a moment of contemplation and inner focus before moving on with their busy days.
“That’s what art can do for us – take us out of the everyday, allow us to think about things that are bigger than the self, where we come from and where we’re going, and bring us together on that journey.”
As well as the installation, MKDP has arranged a bold and colourful new planting scheme for Station Square with species chosen for their aesthetic appeal, biodiversity benefit, and low-maintenance requirements.
“To ‘Walk With Your Dreams’ is an attitude that’s uniquely fitting to Milton Keynes, whether you’re talking about the ingenuity that imagined the New Town’s development in the first place or the energy and bold ideas that fuel our thriving city today,” said Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Milton Keynes City Council.
“Yinka’s artwork will be a playful way of expressing that energy and optimism and will be a fitting welcome for everyone arriving in Station Square, the gateway to our city centre.”
