Exterior view of Pocket Living’s Forest Road development in Walthamstow, designed by Gort Scott and featuring public art commissions by Adriana Jaroslavsky produced by Hive Curates, winner of the RIBA London Regional Award 2026. — 458 Forest Road © Jack Hobhouse

Forest Road Murals by Adriana Jaroslavsky, commissioned and produced by Hive Curates, form part of Pocket Living’s Forest Road development in Walthamstow, designed by Gort Scott, which won a RIBA London Regional Award 2026.

Hive Curates commissioned 2 murals by the artist, one public-facing and another in the interior courtyard for residents of the Forest Road development, which provides 90 affordable one-bedroom homes for local first-time buyers.

Adriana Jaroslavsky’s proposal stood out from over 50 submissions received through a competition among local artists based in Waltham Forest, organised by Hive Curates in partnership with Pocket Living. Jaroslavsky’s idea connected the local area’s Arts and Crafts heritage - as the site is opposite the William Morris gallery - with forms that create a dialogue with the building’s precast concrete curves.

The murals by Adriana animated the triangular site while celebrating the people, culture and creativity within the area of Waltham Forest.

The public-facing artwork Urban Echoes draws inspiration from modernism and the architectural elements of the building, while paying homage to William Morris. The artist led a community-focused workshop to develop colour pigments from locally sourced organic materials from nearby Lloyd Park, engaging local residents in the process of co-creating the mural.

Fluid Connections, artwork in the interior courtyard, was inspired by nearby Walthamstow Wetlands, referencing water as a vital force and reflecting on the diversity of wetlands which connect to the area with the surrounding boroughs.

Adriana Jaroslavsky also worked with the contractors to collect discarded bricks, metal, concrete and other site materials, so that they could be ground into pigments to inform the mural colour palette, further connecting to the language of the building.

The project demonstrates the value of embedding public art within the architectural process from an early stage. Throughout the process, Hive Curates worked with Adriana to commission two large-scale, site-specific murals that respond to the ecology, heritage, and material context of Waltham Forest, in close collaboration with the project team and the local community.

For Hive Curates, projects like this highlight how meaningful collaboration between artists, architects, developers and community can contribute to places that feel culturally connected, locally grounded and socially engaging.