Electric Catwalk

Public Art Commission for
Kensington + Chelsea Art Week

Electric Catwalk Fashion inspired Colourful Public Art by June MAMIMU

Electric Catwalk is a celebration of bold optimism. Expressed through joyful colours and playful patterns, this electrifying public art installation invites visitors to recharge their energy and wellbeing in the most decadent way.

Kensington + Chelsea Art Week Open Call Winner

A bustling pedestrianised street with colorful art-deco and fashion inspired artwork by June Mineyama-Smithson. The large public art on the ground reads 'Electric Catwalk' with vibrant patterns around it.

Electric Catwalk, a winner of the Kensington + Chelsea Art Week Open Call, is a joyful placemaking project by artist June Mineyama-Smithson (MAMIMU).

Spanning a 60-metre stretch of Kensington Court in West London, this vibrant art installation transforms the street into an uplifting runway, inviting everyone to recharge their energy and wellbeing as they walk through bold colour and playful patterns.

Photo: Graham Fudger

Artist June Mineyama-Smithson standing on her colourful patterned art displayed on the street of Kensington Court.
Colourful Biba-inspired public art with wavy patterns in pink, orange, red, purple, green, blue, and brown by artist June Mineyama-Smithson on a sidewalk against a brick building.
Colourful outdoor sidewalk art installations with abstract geometric patterns in pink, orange, yellow, and purple by London-based Japanese artist June Mineyam-Smithson on the street of Kensington Court.
A lively West London street scene with outdoor dining, colourful urban intervention art on the pavement, surrounded by historic brick and stone buildings.
Colourful placemaking art by June Mineyama-Smithson, with purple, pink, orange, and yellow wavy patterns and the words 'Electric Catwalk' on a cobblestone street.
Colorful geometric pattern with pink, green, and blue triangles on brown brick wall by artist June Mineyama-Smithson in Kensington, London.

Inspired by the rich cultural heritage of Kensington, Electric Catwalk shines a light on the bold visionaries who shaped the world we know today

Rooted in Kensington’s rich history of fashion and innovation, Electric Catwalk draws from three visionary eras: Art Deco’s architectural glamour, the rebellious spirit of Biba’s fashion revolution, and the pioneering brilliance of R.E.B. Crompton, whose blue plaque oversees Kensington Court.

This colourful intervention turns an ordinary crossing into an electrifying experience, inviting passers-by to recharge through bold colour and playful design.

More than a visual spectacle, Electric Catwalk is a tribute to those who lit the way forward, turning bold vision into lasting legacies.

Colourful diamond shaped street mural by artist MAMIMU with a starburst pattern in yellow, blue, and purple on a black background, installed on a brick sidewalk in front of a red brick building.
A sticker on a rusty, chipped surface with a colourful, spiral art with typography 'I'm ELECTRIFYING' with social media handles @mamimutokyo @kcawlondon
Colorful geometric street art by June Mineyama-Smithson on cobblestone pavement, with large potted plants, outdoor seating, and a red brick building in the background.
Colorful street art with pink, purple, and yellow wavy patterns on the sidewalk in London by artist June Mineyama-Smithson.

Kensington+Chelsea Art Week

Kensington+Chelsea Art Week

Three dancers on the street of Kensington Court, one jumping and smiling, with colourful floor mural by artist June Mineyama-Smithson.

Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

Musician Zara Hudson-Kozdój playing a cello in Kensington Court for colourful floor mural "Electric Catwalk" artwork opening event for Kensington + Chelsea Art Week.
Artists Alison Jackson and June Mineyama-Smithson standing side by side at Kensington Court for Kensington Chelsea Art Week event, smiling for the camera.

Zara Hudson Kozdoj Cello—Dream Dance–Alison Jackson Art

Zara Hudson Kozdoj Cello—Dream Dance–Alison Jackson Art

Story Behind This Artwork

Black and white photo of a woman in a patterned dress and matching hat and scarf, holding a patterned clutch, standing next to a brick wall with a historical plaque, and a separate image of an old building with large windows.

Drawing Inspiration from Visionary Eras

For this street takeover placemaking art, I’ve taken inspiration from visionary eras—from the glamour of Art Deco, to the empowering fashion of Biba, and the Victorian electrical inventor R.E.B. Crompton, whose blue plaque graces Kensington Court, where this public art takes place.

Inspiration 01

Art Deco: The Modern and Geometric Glamour of 1920s–30s

In the 1920s—30s, Art Deco emerged as a bold visual language of the future—combining modernity, geometry, and luxurious detail. Kensington showcases stunning examples of this style in landmarks like the Barkers of Kensington department store (1933), the historic Kensington Kinema (1928), and the elegance of the former Derry & Toms building (1933), now Japan House on Kensington High Street.

Electric Catwalk channels this same ethos of style and optimism, using pattern and rhythm to uplift public space and echo Art Deco’s belief in design as a transformative force.

Historic black and white photograph of Kensington Kinema from 1930s
A city street scene featuring a Japan House London art deco building with multiple large windows and decorative architectural details. Two red double-decker buses are passing in front.

Kensington Kinema, 1928 (Getty Images)
Japan House, London (Japan House)

Inspiration 02

Biba: Empowerment Through
Fashion in the 1960s & 70s

In the heart of Kensington, Biba revolutionised fashion and retail in the 1960s and '70s. Founded by Barbara Hulanicki, Biba offered affordable glamour that helped women dress with confidence, creativity, and power. With its Art Deco-inspired interiors and theatrical displays, the store quickly became a cultural magnet.

Icons like Twiggy, Marianne Faithfull, and David Bowie were fans. Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in-chief, worked at Biba when she was 15 years old. She once said the store taught her “everything she knows about fashion”.

Electric Catwalk’s bold colour and playful pattern are heavily inspired by Biba’s style which empowered many women.

Decadant Biba fashion
Close-up of Biba vintage sleeveless button-up top with a cream collar, colorful abstract swirl pattern in purple, orange, and yellow, displayed on a mannequin.

Opulent dresses and interior of Biba (London Museum)
Biba patterned dress (Fashion and Textile Museum)

Inspiration 03

R.E.B. Crompton: Victorian Electrical Engineer Who Lit Up the Future

Blue plaque of Colonel R.E.B. Crompton (1845–1940) oversees the art installation on Kensington Court. Crompton, one of Britain’s great inventors, installed one of the first power-supply stations at Kensington Court in 1887 and also lit the Law Courts, Buckingham Palace, and the Vienna Opera House and long before such technology became mainstream.

Crompton’s pioneering vision and legacy shine through Electric Catwalk, which re-energises the street with visual electricity and a nod to his spirit of innovation.

Black and white portrait of R.E.B. Crompton with glasses, seated at a desk, wearing a suit, with papers and a book on the desk.
Blue plaque on a brick wall commemorating Colonel R.E.B. Crompton, an electrical engineer who lived from 1891 to 1939, and his work from 1845 to 1940 on Kensington Court.

Portrait of Colonel R.E.B. Crompton
(London Museum & The Institution of Engineering and Technology)
Crompton’s Blue Plaque on Kensington Court (David Nichollson, openplaques.org)

Abstract geometric artwork by artist June Mineyama-Smithson (MAMIMU), with different colourful patterns including scalloped shapes, zigzags, and layered rectangles in shades of orange, pink, purple, green, and black.

Strike a pose

Expressed through joyful colours and playful patterns, this electrifying installation invites visitors to recharge their energy in the most decadent way. There are photo opportunity areas with playful phrases: I’m electrifying, Fully Empowered, Recharging In Progress.

Left: Photo by Andrew Lalchan, Right: Cloe Freeman photo by Graham Fudger

Colourful abstract art with various geometric patterns and the words 'FULLY EMPOWERED' at the bottom left by June Mineyama-Smithson (MAMIMU)

Open to the public, 23 June 2025—23 July 2025
Kensington Court, London W8
(Off High Street Kensington)

Details of public art commission by June Mineyama-Smithson. 'I'm Electricifying' with a multicolour circular pattern and the other labelle 'Recharging in Progress' with a similar circular pattern, both featuring geometric shapes and vibrant colour.

Selected through the Opportunity Kensington BID Open Call, this urban intervention is in collaboration with Kensington + Chelsea Art Week and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Black and white logos of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Opportunity Kensington, Kensington + Chelsea Art Week who commissioned "Electric Catwalk" public art by artist June Mineyama-Smithson. 
Photo by Elaine Potter

Can we collaborate?

I’m June aka MAMIMU, a London-based Japanese artist/graphic designer/educator on a mission to spread optimism. If you share the same vision and want to make the world a better place through public art, product collaboration, workshops, or anything else, let’s talk. 

Together, we can amplify our impact and create a brighter future for all.

Not ready to get in touch? Join my newsletter to see if we are a good match.