Jon Daniels' ICONS on Railton Road

Jon Daniel’s facia redesign for Brixton Advice Centre’s livens up the junction of Shakespeare Road and Railton Road - Brixton’s Poet’s Corner - with his inspirational eye catching facia - ICONS on Railton Road. Testament to how art and design, form and function can work together - the integration of art into everyday life - making it hard to impossible to tell one from the other.

From the brief for the facia Jon’s approach is simple and eloquent - art: celebrate Brixton’s icons and design: create naturally light but private office space.

Jon has paid respect to the building’s history: it has a blue plaque commemorating CLR James lived there and Race To Day edited by Darcus Howe was produced in the there. Their historic presence is acknowledged in Jon’s iconographic art installation which also includes the pianist Winifred Atwell, the writer Farrukh Dhondy, the poet Linton Kwesei Johnson and the activist Olive Morris, each icon having a strong connection with Brixton. Their grainy, much enlarged back and white images add to the drama of the installation.

The materials Jon has used allows the light to flow through the images so the office space is naturally light yet remains quite private from outside preying eyes.

The inspiration for the colours is particularly interesting as the building had just been painted white, its three doors - one on Shakespeare Road, one on the corner and one on Railton Road- each painted a different colour - Blue , Green and Yellow. Those three colours Jon has referenced in his new logo design for BAC including a witty speech bubble as well as using them in the installation.

.....and this is not the first time Jon's work came to my attention. His excellent curation of the exhibition of AFRO SUPA HERO at the V&A Museum of Childhood I really enjoyed and wrote about earlier on this blog.

 For me this is what art is all about something beautiful with purpose - aesthetic, yet practical - art should touch one’s soul, inspire one’s mind while at the same time be a natural part of our everyday lived lives.  Jon’s Brixton’s icons on BAC’s facia are for me testament to how art can enliven not just our physical but also spiritual circumstances.