Upcycled Owl Installed at Culpeper Community Garden

Key Points

• A large owl sculpture made from discarded and found objects has been installed at Culpeper Community Garden in Islington, north London.
• The artwork was created by a local artist who regularly makes pieces from materials found or discarded in the local area.
• The sculpture began with a twisted bicycle wheel recovered from the Regent’s Canal, which inspired the idea of creating an owl.
• A bicycle tyre found in a tree and a smaller tyre discarded by a cycle repair stall in Chapel Market were used to form the owl’s eyes.
• An abandoned bicycle saddle became the beak, while a discarded car windscreen frame formed the outline of the owl’s face after its glass was safely removed.
• The ears were made from the frame of an old painting canvas and covered with Sainsbury’s carrier bags.
• Striped laundry bags were used for the remaining parts of the sculpture, giving the owl a deliberately vivid and unconventional appearance.
• The roughly 1.5-metre-square sculpture was assembled on the artist’s communal landing and later occupied much of the artist’s living room.
• Volunteers helped install the sculpture on a tree at the garden using ropes and a tall ladder.
• The artist hopes the artwork will particularly appeal to children and enhance the wooded area of the community garden.
• The artist previously created an upcycled artwork called “Boombox Dragonfly” in 2012 for Camley Street Natural Park.
• The earlier artwork was later relocated to Woodberry Wetlands and remains there.

Extra London News (ELN) October 8, 2026 – A large upcycled owl made from discarded bicycles, bags, a car windscreen frame and other recovered materials has been installed at Culpeper Community Garden in Islington. The sculpture was created by a local artist who uses found objects to develop artworks, with an old bicycle wheel recovered from the Regent’s Canal providing the starting point for the owl. The finished piece, measuring roughly 1.5 metres square, was assembled before volunteers helped secure it to a tree in the garden. The artist hopes the unusual installation will be particularly popular with children while contributing to the character of the wooded part of the community space.

The development represents a combination of local artwork, reuse of discarded materials and community participation. Culpeper Community Garden describes itself as an environmental community project and a city park managed by and for local people. Its official website says the garden contains wildlife areas, ponds, communal spaces and plots used by local people and community groups.

How was the upcycled owl created from discarded materials?

The owl began with an object that might otherwise have remained waste: an old, twisted bicycle wheel recovered from the Regent’s Canal.

According to the artist’s account supplied for this report, the wheel was covered in weed when it was found. Its shape eventually suggested an eye, leading to the idea of building a large owl from other discarded materials.

The artist then began looking for additional objects that could be incorporated into the sculpture.

A bicycle tyre found in a tree near the garden was retrieved and used as another component. A smaller tyre, which had been discarded by a cycle repair stall in nearby Chapel Market, was subsequently added to form the owl’s other eye.

The choice of materials meant the sculpture developed gradually rather than being constructed from a predetermined set of conventional art supplies.

The artist also found a new purpose for an abandoned bicycle saddle, which became the owl’s beak.

Another significant component was a car windscreen frame found lying on a pavement. The artist said the glass was safely removed before the frame was incorporated into the artwork, creating an outline for the owl’s face.

The ears were then made from the frame of an old painting canvas.

For colour, the artist used Sainsbury’s carrier bags sourced locally and added striped laundry bags to other sections of the sculpture. The artist described the resulting creature as clearly not a native species but said the intention was to make its colours stand out.

How was the owl assembled before being installed?

The construction process took place in an unconventional setting.

The artist assembled the sculpture on a communal landing, where its development was visible to neighbours and attracted attention from people passing by.

Each individual part was attached to the frame with wire. The artist noted that working with the wire could be hazardous and resulted in scars.

Once assembled, the sculpture became so large that it occupied most of the artist’s living room floor.

Despite its dimensions, the artist said the owl remained relatively manageable to move because it was not particularly heavy. The main difficulty came when it was exposed to strong wind.

At roughly 1.5 metres square, the sculpture had enough surface area for wind to affect its movement considerably. The artist described carrying it in strong wind as similar to carrying a sail.

The installation therefore required more than simply lifting the completed artwork into position.

How was the owl installed at Culpeper Community Garden?

A tree in the garden had been selected as the location for the sculpture.

The installation required a practical solution to support the owl while it was being secured. A rope was tied between two forked tree trunks so that most of the sculpture’s weight could be carried during the process.

Because the owl was not particularly aerodynamic, another rope was used to secure its base.

Two volunteers climbed a very tall ladder to assist with the installation.

The account describes the volunteers as taking on the task of helping position and secure the artwork after the artist had completed the sculpture.

The completed owl now occupies a wooded section of the garden.

The artist said this was an appropriate habitat for the sculpture, while also expressing hope that it would enhance the area and attract the attention of children visiting the garden.

Culpeper Community Garden itself has a dedicated wildlife area and includes ponds, communal spaces, ornamental planting and other natural features. The garden says it is maintained through the work of local members and volunteers and is open to the public.

Why is Culpeper Community Garden an appropriate setting for the artwork?

Culpeper Community Garden is located in Islington and is recognised as a community-managed green space within London.

The garden’s own description says it combines the functions of a city park and an environmental community project. It contains a lawn, ponds, rose pergolas, ornamental beds, vegetable plots, seating and a wildlife area.

The garden also states that its work is based substantially on community participation. Local people volunteer their labour alongside paid garden workers, while community groups, children and people living nearby without gardens can use parts of the site.

That setting provides a direct connection between the owl’s construction from discarded objects and the garden’s wider community and environmental character.

The London Gardens Trust also identifies Culpeper Community Garden as a community garden in Islington and records its lawn, ponds, wildlife area, vegetable plots and other features. Its research describes the site as being run by a charitable trust and maintained through a communal effort involving garden members and volunteers.

The garden was established in 1982 after Anthea Douglas identified a derelict site that could be transformed into a garden for local children and the community. The garden’s own history records that development as the beginning of the community space that exists today.

The addition of an artwork made from discarded objects therefore sits within a wider environment that already combines community activity, green space and environmental projects.

What materials were reused in the owl sculpture?

The sculpture incorporates a broad range of objects that had previously served other purposes or had been discarded.

The principal materials described by the artist include:

Bicycle parts

The original inspiration was an old twisted bicycle wheel recovered from the Regent’s Canal. A bicycle tyre found in a tree was also incorporated, while a smaller tyre discarded by a cycle repair stall in Chapel Market became part of the owl’s other eye.

An abandoned bicycle saddle was used as the beak.

Automotive material

A car windscreen frame found on the pavement was reused as the outline of the owl’s face. The artist specifically stated that the glass was safely removed before the frame was incorporated.

Household and retail materials

The sculpture also uses the frame of an old painting canvas, Sainsbury’s carrier bags and striped laundry bags.

The carrier bags were used to introduce stronger colour to the owl’s ears, while the laundry bags formed other sections of the sculpture.

The result is an artwork whose appearance is determined substantially by the shape, texture and colour of materials that were already available.

What does the artist hope the installation will achieve?

The artist said the owl was intended to occupy and hopefully enhance the wooded area of Culpeper Community Garden.

There was also a specific audience in mind.

The artist said they hoped the artwork would be popular with children.

No further claims about the reaction of garden visitors have been provided in the source material, so it is not possible to state how the installation has been received by the public beyond the artist’s expectation that children may enjoy it.

The installation does, however, place a large and brightly coloured object within a garden environment where children and adults already visit, according to the garden’s own description. Culpeper says its wildlife area and pond are among the features that visitors explore, while children use the garden and community spaces.

Has the artist created other upcycled artworks?

The owl is not the artist’s first project involving discarded or reused materials.

In 2012, the artist created another upcycled artwork called “Boombox Dragonfly” for Camley Street Natural Park.

The artwork was subsequently relocated to Woodberry Wetlands, where, according to the artist’s account, it remains.

The earlier project provides context for the owl as part of an ongoing approach to creating artworks from found materials rather than a one-off experiment.

The two projects also share a connection with green spaces in London, with both artworks placed within natural or community-oriented environments.

No additional details about the construction of “Boombox Dragonfly” are contained in the supplied account, so its materials and original dimensions have not been stated here.

What is the wider role of Culpeper Community Garden in Islington?

Culpeper Community Garden is more than a conventional public garden.

Its official website describes it as both a city park and an environmental community project. The site is managed by and for local people and includes community plots, wildlife areas and shared spaces.

The garden says it has 49 plots, including raised beds for disabled gardeners, and that these spaces are available to community groups, children and people living nearby who do not have gardens.

Its public role also extends beyond gardening. The garden lists art, mindfulness and nature-related activities among its projects, while its community areas include a resource centre, tea hut and wildlife garden.

The site has also received recognition for its community and environmental work. The garden reports receiving an ‘Outstanding’ community garden rating from the Royal Horticultural Society in 2023, while the London Gardens Trust records earlier awards and recognition connected with its community-gardening and wildlife work.

What is the background to Culpeper Community Garden?

Culpeper Community Garden was established in 1982 after Anthea Douglas, then a teacher, identified a derelict site that could be converted into a garden for local schoolchildren and the wider community.

The garden’s history says the site was initially a bomb-damaged and neglected area. Douglas secured support and began transforming the land with the help of community service volunteers.

More than four decades later, the garden remains a green space in Islington. The London Gardens Trust describes it as a community garden dating from the 1980s and records its wildlife area, ponds, plots, communal facilities and charitable management.

The garden is at 1 Cloudesley Road, Islington, London N1 0EJ, and its official website says it is open to the public and maintained through the involvement of local people and volunteers.

The site’s continuing community role provides the setting in which the upcycled owl has now been installed.

What could the owl installation mean for visitors and the local community?

The immediate effect of the development is the addition of a large piece of locally assembled artwork to the garden.

For visitors, particularly children, the sculpture provides a visual feature within the wooded section of the site. Its unusual construction also makes the artwork distinct from conventional sculptures because many of its components retain a visible connection to their previous uses.

For the local community, the project demonstrates how discarded objects can be incorporated into a public setting through individual creativity and volunteer assistance.

Any longer-term effect will depend on how visitors respond to the installation and how the sculpture is maintained in an outdoor environment. The source material does not provide evidence of visitor numbers, formal feedback or plans for additional installations, so those outcomes cannot be stated as established developments.

Prediction: How could the upcycled owl affect Culpeper Community Garden visitors and the local community?

The most immediate likely effect is that the owl will provide an additional visual attraction within Culpeper Community Garden, particularly for children and families, which is consistent with the artist’s stated hope for the project.

Because the sculpture uses discarded bicycles, bags, a car windscreen frame and other reused materials, it may also provide a tangible example of creative reuse for people visiting the garden. However, its longer-term impact on visitor numbers, community engagement or environmental awareness cannot be established from the available information.

For Culpeper Community Garden, the installation adds another element of community-created artwork to a site that already combines gardening, wildlife, volunteering and creative activities. The garden’s established role as a publicly accessible community space means the sculpture will be encountered within an environment already designed around participation and local use.