Art installation to be unveiled as part of redevelopment of Station Square in Central Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Development Partnership and Milton Keynes City Council have confirmed a new large-scale installation will take pride of place of the newly renovated Station Square.

British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE, known for dynamic and playful work, has been commissioned to create a large scale artwork to fill the Station Square outside Central Milton Keynes railway station.

The installation is entitled ‘Walk With Your Dreams’ and will be integrated into Station Square’s flooring.

MK City Council said in a statement, “Inspired by Nigerian textile patterns, it aims to make the expansive space more welcoming, sociable and inspiring, while reflecting the character of the city. The installation will also help to direct pedestrians arriving at the station towards the two underpasses that lead from Station Square to the city centre, and this was an important part of MKDP’s brief.”

The title of the work references the vision that underpinned the New Town movement that created Milton Keynes in 1967 and the ambition to achieve city status, which was granted as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

‘Walk With Your Dreams’ will open in a ceremony taking place on Thursday 2 October with music and other performances between 4pm and 7.30pm.

It will be in place for several years, maintained by funding from MKDP and Section 106 public art contributions. An additional celebratory event will be delivered in collaboration with four local schools, the African Diaspora Foundation and Milton Keynes Arts Centre prior to the opening as part of Black History Month.

Ilori has taken inspiration from the symmetry and geometry of Milton Keynes’ US-style grid system, which famously makes it one of the most navigable cities in the UK and interprets this through the lens of textile patterns created by the traditional Yoruban dyeing technique, Àdìrẹ.

Ilori said, “With a thriving Nigerian community and growing arts scene, Milton Keynes is a location that aligns with my values of bringing art to wider audiences and to fostering connection and community. Despite the fast-paced environment of the station, I hope the artwork will inspire people to stop for a moment of contemplation and inner focus before moving on with their busy days. That’s what art can do for us – take us out of the everyday, allow us to think about things that are bigger than the self, where we come from and where we’re going, and bring us together on that journey.”

As well as the installation, MKDP has arranged an extensive planting scheme for Station Square with species chosen for their aesthetic appeal, biodiversity benefit, and low-maintenance requirements.

Adam Sciberras, Special Projects Director, Milton Keynes Development Partnership, said, “Yinka has an exemplary record of developing and delivering exceptional public realm works which respond to place, community and context. This project is about setting out what people can expect from Milton Keynes – Yinka’s work will be a great introduction to our thriving, young, innovative, diverse and sustainable city and the vibrancy, enthusiasm and biodiversity that people experience here.”

Cllr Shanika Mahendran, Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Milton Keynes City Council, added, “To ‘Walk With Your Dreams’ is an attitude that’s uniquely fitting to Milton Keynes, whether you’re talking about the ingenuity that imagined the New Town’s development in the first place or the energy and bold ideas that fuel our thriving city today. Yinka’s artwork will be a playful way of expressing that energy and optimism and will be a fitting welcome for everyone arriving in Station Square, the gateway to our city centre.”