Adam Nathaniel Furman’s ‘Abundance’ brings colours of the British garden to Paddington

'Abundance is 'a frozen garden' in which the colours of a British garden in high spring are abstracted and turned into a crafted human-made artistic intervention that can be enjoyed all year long, in all weather conditions,' explains award-winning artist and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman. They are referring to their latest installation, a brightly, very carefully planned installation which has just been unveiled in London's Paddington. 

On display in the revamped Amphitheatre area in Paddington Central’s Sheldon Square, the piece of public art certainly draws the eye and brings on a smile. No wonder it's already been gaining fans: 'Just spending time next to the work and seeing how the public interact with it, it is empirically clear that people are drawn to it, immensely enjoying it. It has already become a focus of local affection.'

Adam Nathaniel Furman's 'Abundance': a burst of colour in urban public space

Furman was born in St Mary’s Hospital adjacent to the Paddington station campus, so the whole area is very close to their heart. The aim was to create a piece that brings colour and vibrancy to the neighbourhood's public spaces, ensuring there are plenty of accessible, purpose-built areas for the public to rest, gather, and relax – addressed to both locals and the capital's many tourists alike. 

Abundance certainly does that, offering a welcoming burst of colour that unfolds in a strategic way across the square. Furman employed their extensive experience in using light, colour and texture to craft a design that is truly site-specific. 

'Up close, the design is intended to create an immersive colour environment that is constantly transforming itself as you move along it, both because of the various colours arranged in such a way that they change in visibility as you pass, but also because of the level of gloss in the finish that incorporates the reflected context and daylight conditions, adding extra layers of richness to the experience,' Furman explains.

'From further away the work embeds an unapologetically layered and rich aesthetic element into a very corporate environment that was previously dominated by the grey-brown colour of stone and cementitious panels and the green-blue colour of large-pane-glass curtain-wall cladding,' Furman continues. 

'A big part, other than the artwork, of the transformation of Sheldon Square was the introduction of more varied plants. It is not rocket science and it was pretty widely understood by urban planners up until recently (and it is once again being slowly rediscovered) that the inclusion of planting, natural elements, as well as crafted, artistic features in our urban realm is vitally important to making our cities feel more welcoming and enjoyable.'

A key element in this public place's 21st-century transformation, the art piece is engaging and open to all to enjoy – just a stone's throw from Paddington Station and the adjacent canal route. 

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