London artist Ian Berry has turned over 400kg of clothes into a giant piece of art in Canary Wharf

Following the introduction of a Swap Station clothes donation bank at Canary Wharf, the area has now unveiled a striking new artwork called Urban Refuge, created by artist Ian Berry, using the second-hand denim donated.

World-renowned for his work turning old denim into striking visualisations, Berry selected denim items such as jeans, jackets and accessories from the clothes bank, and then spent six weeks transforming them into a piece of exclusive art. Installed for World Environment Day on June 5th, the piece was made by cutting the denim into the shapes of flowers and plants and then attaching them, one by one, to the base structure of the pergola. Shoppers can stand inside or stroll through the installation, which will sit in Jubilee Place mall until the end of July.

The Swap Station allowed shoppers to give their old clothes in return for shopping vouchers from a range of retailers at Canary Wharf. Any of the denim not used for the artwork was collected for Love Not Landfill – a non-profit campaign that encourages fast fashion fans to buy second-hand, swap, recycle and give to charity. In total the charity collected over 400kg of clothes!

The Swap Station campaign forms part of Canary Wharf’s ongoing investment in public art and sustainability. Canary Wharf is the UK’s leading sustainable developer and the area’s wider Conscious Consumer initiatives encourage visitors to live, eat and shop locally through sustainable choices, refillable water stations, transport links, extensive green spaces and plastic-free lunch spots.

Written by Lupe Castro

Photography courtesy of Canary Wharf