Visions of Paradise is a new permanent public artwork by Shezad Dawood on permanent display outside The White House on the Becontree Estate.

The work is made to mark the centenary of the Becontree Estate and illuminates its surroundings through a film and digital animation, hosted in a sculptural display that borrows its form from ancient Neolithic standing stones, connecting a pre-industrial past with Becontree's present-day sense of place.

Its title alludes to a description of Becontree Estate at the time of its construction (1921–35) as a ‘working-class paradise’ and references the estate’s visionary architecture, its hey-day of shared communal activity and the symbols that have come to define its residents' sense of place.

The animation is populated by historic and contemporary icons of Becontree selected in dialogue with local residents, including images of a vintage Ford Capri and the Dagenham Idol. These are overlaid on 8mm footage shot by the artist alongside clips contributed by the community and archival film.

The work is accompanied by a hypnotic soundtrack by contemporary composer patten. It fuses sounds collected by Becontree residents, archival material, and sonic inspirations related to the multitude of cultural experiences held within the fabric of the estate’s past, present, and future. The immersive audio is a journey from modern classical to punk, adhan, contemporary pop, gospel, and beyond.

With special thanks to the members of the Becontree community who contributed to the project:

Anthony McKernan

Baylea Burgess-Michaels-Hayter

Bill Jennings

Box Up Crime

Catherina Rowland

Catherine Rothschild

David Bennett

Ellie Clark

Ethan Mafumo

Griffi

Jacob Schwar

Julie Pacsa

Kyla Douglas 

Liam Scully

Miro Tomarkin

Rezija Samoska

Rudy Pacsa

Tanis Newall

Ula Sakr

You can learn more about the project and their contributions by clicking this link.