Alexandra Palace and ideas for a garden construction

The People's Palace on the hill sometimes feels like a blueprint for how all public spaces should be. I feel at home there, among the graffiti and security guards, the temporary barriers and the street food stalls. At the bars, I see a chunky section on the list marked "lows and nos", the phrase I've been bellowing at confused barstaff for almost a year now. Happy Days.

The walk from the tube takes in the glorious wisteria pergola at Barratt Gardens, which is busy today with people hanging out and picnicking etc. under the flowers.

 

The walkways and pathways feature some elements which make a space feel like contributions and lingering and taking photos are more allowed; an illustrative mural on a terrace end, a property boundary display case (empty).  

Alexandra Park is vast, contains multitudes. Rest, recovery, green grass, tall trees. And then the palace at the centre of it all. Paths are made by human feet: there are only enough signs for safety's sake. It's usual to wander off the track a bit on the way to Alexandra Palace.

 

We were there to see Fourtet/Squidsoup (that's a link to a pre-pandemic show) and they have filled the central arena with a grid of hanging glowing tentacles, which light up, respond to, play with and track the music. They remind me of David Attenborough's glowing mucus cave-worms a little.

I found the secret library door when I went the wrong way down a road. I still have some problems with wayfinding, here and there. But when you have time to get lost, it's fun to get lost, sometimes.

Edited to add: it got filmed!

So, in the garden, my garden or yours, hangdown light trails could sit beneath a pergola, tangled with vines. I have a vine that would jump at the job: though perhaps in that context it might work better to reference grapes hanging down, or indeed, wisteria.