Location: Surbiton, London, U.K.

Status: Completed February 2018

Collaborators: MArch Unit 5 Kingston University, led by Takeshi Hayatsu and Jim Reed.

Photography: Ben Tynegate, Serina Harb, and Daniel Rooke

The Surbiton Yatai was designed and built by postgraduate students from Kingston School of Art with tutors Jim Reed and Takeshi Hayatsu. Working in collaboration with community interest company, The Community Brain, the 5-metre-tall structure was designed to act as a landmark for the annual Seething Festival in Surbiton. The festival celebrates the story of Lefi Ganderson, the Goatboy from Mount Seething who drove the giant away and united the community behind him, representing the community’s dedication to share positivity and creativity.

Pulled by local children along the plywood tracks to signal the start and the end of the street parade, the 4-wheeled structure is inspired by traditional Japanese festival floats from Kuki Andon Matsuri in Kanagawa, Japan. The prefabricated Japanese floats are annually assembled by their communities in order to celebrate the pride and spirit of the community and represent the craftsmanship of each district. Likewise, the Surbiton Yatai uses a panellised system making it easy to assemble with a base formed of 4 oak sleepers and wheels made out of solid timber. The outer lattice frame hosts 420 recycled milk bottles containing seed bombs, wild flowers and herbs. These plants and seed bombs are then distributed to the community from the central internal platform, promoting sustainability, green growth, and up-cycling.