A prominent national architectural critic has praised Milton Keynes' vibrant new public artwork at Station Square in enthusiastic terms. The project represents the result of Milton Keynes City Council's £100,000 investment to completely transform what was previously described as a drab and dingy square into a striking work of art and conversation piece at the city's main gateway.
The council commissioned British-Nigerian designer and artist Yinka Shonibare to paint the entire space in a spectacular array of colors and patterns, creating the artwork titled "Walk With Your Dreams." The transformation has turned the square from a neglected transit area into what officials hope will become a defining visual landmark for the city.
Renowned architectural critic and author Rowan Moore was among the early visitors to experience the completed installation, and he admits he was immediately struck by its visual impact – quite literally dazzled by the experience. Writing in his column for The Observer, Moore described arriving at the scene while workers in high-visibility jackets were adding the finishing touches to the project.
"The only thing is, their backdrop is such a riot of yellow and green (also mauve, orange and blue) that they're in effect wearing camouflage," Moore wrote in his review. "They'd stand out more if they were wearing gray suits." He characterized the installation as "high-vis for MK – a new image for a city whose most famous previous artwork was concrete cows."
Moore explained that the square is designed to serve multiple functions, acting as both a place for people to linger and gather, as well as a transit space for commuters moving to and from their trains. One of the design's key practical functions is to help guide pedestrians toward a pair of underpasses that provide access to the rest of the city center.
The critic observed that the artistic concept appears to diverge significantly from the cool, gridded modernism that has traditionally dominated the architectural style of central Milton Keynes. Instead, Moore noted, "it taps into a psychedelic hippiedom that was an equal and opposite aspect of the city's making." He referenced historical accounts suggesting that "Milton Keynes was built under a fog of marijuana smoke and Pink Floyd records, with pyramids, mounds and circles inspired by prehistoric earthworks."
Moore drew connections between the new artwork and the city's existing symbolic geometry, pointing out that Milton Keynes' central avenue, Midsummer Boulevard, is aligned like Stonehenge with the summer solstice sunrise. "Shonibare's circle, which marks the start of the boulevard, connects with this druidical geometry," he wrote.
The installation covers an impressive 3,000 square meters of floor space, creating what the artist himself has compared to the colorful fabrics that Nigerians wear to wedding celebrations. Moore acknowledged that such an ambitious project could easily have resulted in an artistic disaster, but instead praised it as "a vibrant success story – literally."
"It pushes to the limit the proposition that color and pattern – paint, in a word – can revitalize a place," Moore explained in his review. He noted that the installation features "colors that, according to any concept of good taste, should clash and fight, but instead communicate messages of positivity and hopefulness."
The critic praised Shonibare's execution of what he described as "a simple enough concept, and one that might have ended up tokenistic and flimsy, but Shonibare brings it off." Moore attributed the success to the project's scale and visual impact, as well as "the bravura with which he can combine almost any color with almost any other."
Moore concluded his review by highlighting the artwork's immediate and accessible appeal, quoting one of the workers involved in the installation who said, "I can't wait to bring my kids here." The worker's regular job, Moore noted, involves painting oil rigs, providing an interesting contrast to this colorful urban art project.
"Walk With Your Dreams" was commissioned jointly by Milton Keynes City Council and the Milton Keynes Development Partnership. Beyond its artistic impact, the installation serves practical purposes by helping to guide pedestrians toward the city center and underpasses, while simultaneously creating a welcoming public space at what serves as a key arrival point for visitors to the city.
