Last year life as we know it was wiped out in Peckham and just a few lone souls could be seen wandering around an overgrown post-apocalyptic car park in the mist – at least that was the scene created by local artist Nick Cobb.
This year you can walk the full length of Rye Lane in Nick’s living room as he exhibits his latest creation as part of the Nunhead Arts Trail.
This eerie 21-foot-long cardboard construction is again set in a post-disaster Peckham in which sea levels have risen, breaching the Thames barrier and creating a canal running down Rye Lane. The busy waterway echoes Peckham’s industrial past on the Grand Surrey Canal, but the almost ruinous buildings tell us SE15 has fallen into disrepair.
In a fantastical twist, winged figures can be seen perched on the rooftops, and Nick himself admits he has not yet decided who or what they are and is keen to see what viewers will make of it.
“That’s one of the interesting things about it – feedback can determine how I see it myself,” said the 56-year-old father of two. Nick, an artist and photographer, who has lived in the area for 30 years, has spent nearly a year hand-crafting the 21-foot-long, inspired by a model of Peckham town centre made by local people to help envision the new station square.
The model will be on show on September 19 and 20 from 11 – 6pm at 24 Homeleigh Road.
To see what else is on, visit: www.nunheadarttrail.co.uk