Photo: Mickey Lee/ Wandsworth Council

200 + Community Participants

500+ Handcrafted Butterflies

100+ Unique Community Messages

Participants Aged 4 to 80+

In 10+ Different Languages

10+ Workshops Across Wandsworth

6 Weeks of Non-Stop Creativity

Stories Folded into Every Butterfly

1 Collective Community Voice

London Design Festival 2024Voices of Wandsworth

A Community Art Installation for the London Design Festival 2024

Voices of Wandsworth is a powerful community art installation created for the London Design Festival 2024. Developed through a series of creative workshops and origami sessions across Wandsworth, the project invited people to reflect on the prompt: “If a butterfly could hear you, what would you say?”

During August and September 24, , children, older adults, local residents, workers, charities, and businesses came together to share their voices. More than 100 heartfelt messages were collected. Some emailed, but most written during workshops; expressed in English, French, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, and more, celebrating the rich cultural diversity of Wandsworth.

These messages were carefully folded into over 500 origami butterflies, crafted by participants and brought to life with the help of South Thames College’s visual and sound arts students, who co-created the installation and accompanying soundtrack.

The project highlighted themes of belonging, identity, hope, and community unity, and served as a moving celebration of Wandsworth’s creativity and compassion.

Voices of Wandsworth continues to evolve, travelling from Nine Elms and Battersea to Tooting, growing with each installation. It’s a joyful testament to why Wandsworth is the Borough of Culture 2025—a borough where every voice matters and every story can take flight.

Voices of Wandsworth was originally showcased as part of the London Design Festival 2024 at the OSMO building in Nine Elms, from in September 2024.

A special reception, attended by the Mayor of Wandsworth and supporters, celebrated the borough’s collective voices and stories. After it’s initial run, the installation was invited to display  at Battersea Arts Centre in November 24, and All Saints Church, Tooting in December 24.

Some of the Voices of Wandsworth workshops
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This heartwarming session brought together nearly 30 children, ages 4 to 14, with parents and a lovely grandmother joining in. Each child created a butterfly carrying a unique, heartfelt message, shared amidst laughter and connection. Celebrating Indian Independence Day added even more meaning, with butterflies crafted in the colors of the Indian flag. Special thanks to Dr. Ashish Patel for making this workshop so memorable.

Tooting Bal Sanskar Group

Held at Battersea Arts Centre and hosted by 575 Wandsworth Road, this workshop invited Wandsworth residents and workers to share their voices. Participants enjoyed poetry readings by Nick Eisen and hands-on origami inspired by Khadambi’s butterflies at 575. A heartfelt thank you to Laura and Erica for facilitating and to everyone who joined—these contributions truly jumpstarted the project.

575 Wandsworth Road

In partnership with Arty Crafty Crescent Club, this vibrant session was one of our final open workshops. Participants explored the prompt, “If a butterfly could hear you, what would you say?” and crafted butterflies on sticks. Creativity overflowed as chatterboxes, origami flowers, and even an origami cat joined the butterflies! A special thanks to Tiah for organizing and hosting this lively gathering.

Arty Crafty Crescent Club

Held at Cromwell House Community Hub, this magical day saw paper butterflies transformed into delicate fabric creations, perfect for brooches and headbands, thanks to Tiah’s brilliant suggestion. With the support of the MACWO family, art, sewing, and community came together in a joyful celebration. Thank you to everyone at MACWO for making this session unforgettable.

Mother and Child Welfare Organisation

Our final session at Balham Library with Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees provided a powerful conclusion to the project. Messages of hope and resilience were shared in Arabic, Amazigh, Urdu, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Gaelic, and more, reflecting our community’s diversity. A participant’s message, “If you have hope, you have everything,” captured the spirit of this gathering. Thank you to Mary for organizing this wonderful session and to Balham Library for hosting. And to everyone who brought their voice, language, and heart to this uplifting gathering.

Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees at Balham Library

 As one of the final sessions, there was growing awareness about the project, and I was deeply touched when one of the participants arrived with a poem she had composed about a butterfly. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of KLS, we crafted our butterflies using custom origami paper printed with the KLS logo, making each butterfly a tribute to this special milestone. Thank you to the ladies of KLS for their warmth, creativity, and all the inspiring conversations that made this workshop unforgettable.

Katherine Low Settlement