Hoxton Unicorns, 2016

Shakespeare on the Arden Estate project celebrated 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and the Arden Estate’s connections to the bard. Hoxton and Shoreditch have rich theatre traditions, the foundations from both The Theatre and The Curtain have been identified on nearby streets and both theatres were sites to premieres of many of the early plays by Shakespeare. This memory is further preserved on the estate itself with many of the tower blocks named after the characters from Shakespeare’s plays. The most prominent of the buildings is called Caliban Tower, after a character in The Tempest. This project celebrates heritage and connections to Shakespeare with a new public artwork on the estate created by artist Amy Pennington with local residents.

In July, 160 people voted for their favourite design to become a public artwork on the Arden Estate and celebrate Hoxton’s connections to Shakespeare. Inspired by The Tempest, the proposed designs are based on conversations with local residents who joined an open informal reading group in Shoreditch Library in June.

The launch took place on Saturday 13th August 2016 at Regan Way Community Hall, on Regan Way N1 London.

Youth engagement programme led by Lynn Chambers. Images by Chris Dorley-Brown & Khadija Saye.

The project is a partnership between North and South Arden Tenant Management Organisation, Shoreditch Library, Laburnum Boat Club, Shakespeare in Shoreditch and PEER.