Catherine Rive, Combes Croft Library Mural, 2007, High Road, Haringey Council
Photographed: 2016
Location: 51°36’14” N 0°4’5″ W
Public art in and around Tottenham, North London, UK
Public art in and around Tottenham, North London, UK
Catherine Rive, Combes Croft Library Mural, 2007, High Road, Haringey Council
Photographed: 2016
Location: 51°36’14” N 0°4’5″ W
Hi Chris,
I see that your photo is dated 2007.
A couple of comments. I hope you don’t mind.
Can I first mention that I met and like the muralist Cath Rive and was pleased that an artist – then living locally – was working on local projects. I took some photos of her at work on the murals in Holcombe Road Market.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157674279470220
She and her family have since moved and I haven’t been in touch with her. But of course I saw her mural next to Combes Croft Library – and liked it. To me the idea was simple but pleasing and effective.
You’d have to ask her for the details but as I recall she worked with local school children and the idea was to incorporate the “national” flowers of the countries they came from. To me it seemed to be a statement about who we all are in Tottenham and how everyone makes their different contribution to the beauty and colour and liveliness of the whole “garden”.
When walking past the mural, I occasionally took some photos. I also posted a couple online.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanstanton/albums/72157648037780986
Sadly this was not primarily to celebrate the mural. Instead it was aimed and nudging Haringey into looking after it better and to consistently monitor and cut back the weeds and bushes which were allowed to grow over the mural. That this wasn’t done seemed to me a symbol of the incompetence of what now passes for leadership on Haringey Council. Showing their disrespect for Tottenham people.
Keeping a mural consistently cared for and free of weeds is a small thing, I know. But apparently beyond the Leader Cllr Claire Kober’s failing regime. Or perhaps “below” them. As they have no problem attending meetings “on high” with important people. For example from the nearby Tottenham Hotspur Football Club whose gifts and hospitality are recorded by the Council in its website. Our Borough’s “leaders” also get themselves to meetings and free hotels in Cannes to meet with property developers.
But maybe I’m wrong and this mural is an accurate although entirely unintended allegory of what’s wrong in Tottenham. If we imagine the flowers as indeed representing Tottenham’s people, then the overgrowing weeds are our leading councillors and their senior staff.
Hi Alan.
Thanks for posting your comments and thanks for the info. I found your Flickr profile while researching the artworks and enjoyed them a lot.
The year in the credit is the year of the artwork rather than when I took the photo. I see now this is confusing and will add the date I photographed them as well.
Have just been on a wander and seen the new Holcombe Market is almost finished and the Cath Rive designs are also on the new shutters. However they look printed rather than hand painted so they may fall out of my loose definition of what is a public artwork.