By Linus Rees
A cycle rickshaw reconstructed by Camden community centres and schools drew crowds of people at Sunday’s Camden Bangladesh Mela in Regent’s Park. Thousands of people gathered in the park on Sunday 4 July for a celebration of Bangladeshi culture.
The cycle rickshaw was one of a pair shipped specially from Bangladesh to the Mary Ward Centre in Bloomsbury where it was dismantled and the parts dispersed among seven community centres in Camden. Each centre then reconstructed their rickshaw pieces, decorating the parts with artwork depicting London, Dhaka and British and Bangladeshi culture. 70 people from Camden took part in the project. The other rickshaw has been left intact as built in Bangladesh.
In Fitzrovia, a group of women led by Samina Dewan and Zoe Wilson-Dutton did weekly workshops at the Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre to paint, decorate and embroider floral designs and scenery from Britain and Bangladesh onto the rickshaw.
The two cycle rickshaws will now go on display from Tuesday 6 July in the Great Hall in the British Museum in Bloomsbury until Thursday 15 July.
Below, Zoe Wilson-Dutton describes the Ricksha Fusion project at Camden Bangladesh Mela.
Comments are closed.