wyllie O hagan

The Angel of the Lee Valley represents different things to different people. As a transient land art installation, the real art was in the process that left a permanent mark on the participants and partners of the project. The Angel left no scar on the landscape.

From beginning to end, the East London Leyton community, had input and ownership of the Angel of Lee Valley, resulting in a true sense of inclusion.

The artist Denise Wyllie picked a common factor to explore – an angel – and facilitated a series of extensive workshops with groups including Kreative Kids Klub, African Caribbean Welfare Association, Muslim Women’s Welfare Association, HEBA Women’s Project, North London Deaf Children’s Association, and Leyton Sixth Form College.

Through the workshop process, the women and children developed the concept of an angel and what it meant to them. As a result a monumental, 2 dimensional image was created and transposed onto Leyton Marsh over an area of 6,400 square metres, to be viewed from scaffold towers and tethered hot-air balloons.

Denise Wyllie notes – “I aimed to involve people old and young, with different religions, or no religion to work together.

The African Caribbean Welfare Association women wanted to leave a message for the future for their grandchildren, some not yet born. For them, I created two artworks showing them as feisty angels to which they gave their personal messages for the future. They gave the Angel of the Lee Valley the responsibility to safeguard their wishes.”

Artwork © Denise Wyllie, Photos: Mark Wickwar and Denise Wyllie

Wyllie O Hagan
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