Giant textile artwork inspired by More London unveiled in Tower Bridge Road

The artwork was unveiled on Thursday 24 September as part of Eid celebrations held by BIP.

The artwork was made as part of More Creative, arts charity Create's major multi-artform project in Southwark.

The textile will now go on permanent display at Haddon Hall Baptist Church where the group meets each week.

BIP is a community group for families in Bermondsey from different backgrounds including asylum-seekers, refugees, settled immigrants, EU citizens and local parents.

During the first workshop in May the participants visited More London, where they made sketches of the shapes, textures and patterns that they found in the landscape including the river, trees, dramatic architecture, open spaces and public art.

Under the guidance of Create's professional visual artist they then worked in groups to produce a collage, using their sketches and photographs as the starting point. The participants chose a design they liked from the collage and, using different fabrics, stitches, ribbons and braids, imaginatively re-created the design.

During the workshops, they explored a range of techniques: layering materials to make 3-D shapes, mixing fabrics and other craft materials such as ribbons and wool, and using a range of different sewing methods. All designs were stitched onto a giant piece of muslin to create the textile artwork – an abstract representation of More London.

Workshop activities were designed to enable the participants to get to know one another in a stimulating, fun environment, to explore and develop their creativity, and to build a wide range of transferable skills including teamwork, concentration and communication.