Diana Phiri-Witty
Welcome To Our Home, 2025
Framed digital giclée prints and digital prints embedded in wall cladding
Community Diagnostic Centre, Mile End Hospital
Throughout the Community Diagnostic Centre, a series of framed prints and patterned wall cladding have been installed by artist and designer Diana Phiri-Witty. Divided into zones, each sub-wait has its own colourway that designates a different part of the centre.
The artist draws playful connections between the patterns embedded in the walls, and the patterns found in the framed images.
To develop the artwork, Phiri-Witty, undertook extensive research. She looked at the history, demographics and rich cultural mix of the neighborhood surrounding this hospital.
The artist studied Bengali textiles, discovering a prevalent use of peacock and lotus flower motifs. She looked into cockney culture and the role of Pearly Kings and Queens. She read about Essex House, which stood at 401 Mile End Road at the turn of the 20th century. The workshop was a key centre for the Arts and Crafts movement which championed traditional craftsmanship.
Bringing these findings together, Phiri-Witty created various images of living rooms that are welcoming, and celebrate the diverse people that live in the area around Mile End Hospital.
“I wanted to create a sense of walking into somewhere familiar, like a comfortable room at home, which might be filled with friends and family—a room where memories are made”
Photography by Matt Livey
About the Artist
Diana Phiri-Witty is an illustrator and surface pattern designer. Having studied architecture at Oxford Brookes University, she also works in project management within the NHS. She has undertaken various community engagement and public art projects, including for Croydon Council. Phiri-Witty's creative work is inspired by her background in architecture, as well as her Malawian, Zimbabwean, and South African heritage. She often uses patterns to explore themes of identity, memory, and belonging.