Grayson Perry unveils street lamp sculpture in Barking

Grayson Perry unveiled the lamp at A House for Artists residence in Barking

A new Grayson Perry sculpture has been unveiled in east London.

The artist created Inspiration Lives Here, which is a street lamp in the shape of a row of houses, to illustrate the history of social housing.

It has been inspired by Becontree Estate, which was once the biggest housing estate in Europe and recently celebrated its 100th birthday.

The work has been installed in the central courtyard of an artists' residence in Barking.

The lamp has features illustrating the history of social housing

"It's mainly a copy of one particular house but also it's amalgamated things like the little extension, the crazy paving on the front and the new PVC front door - maybe this person has bought their council house," Perry explained to the BBC.

"And the wheelie bin, the blight of the British street. Some streets are completely blighted by everyone's different colour wheelie bins, blocking the road."

The lamp sits in the courtyard of a House for Artists, a community residence where artists live for reduced rent in exchange for providing community art.

Grayson Perry won the Turner Prize in 2003

In a nod to Dagenham's long history of car production, a Ford car and a Transit van are parked in the drive of one of the miniature houses and at night, light spills out through the house and vehicle windows.

"What's nice is when the light's on, you see it from afar as you're going past but the closer you come the more details are revealed," said Abel Holsborough, a resident at a House of Artists.

Create London, which commissioned the work, has organised a special event for local residents and schools to engage with the lamp, which will mark the start of a programme of social and creative activity at a House for Artists.

They will also put on a series of ongoing free, drop-in coffee mornings and workshops.

The row of houses light up at night

Saima Ashraf, deputy leader at Barking and Dagenham Council, said: "An already exciting space just got even more exciting.

"We're so pleased to welcome Grayson Perry's wonderful sculpture as a permanent fixture to Barking Town Centre which Create London and Art Fund have brought to our borough.

"It represents so much about our community as a shining beacon of light and it is a truly fantastic addition to the borough's growing creative spaces."

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