Central Park celebrates Ecology of Colour with Studio Weave Artlands building in Dartford

Installation Preview: The Ecology of Colour, Central Park, Dartford, until October 28 2012

Artlands, the landscape series around Kent launched by Heather and Ivan Morison's giant balloon filled with helium and a webbed rig of film lights last year, seems to be pursuing a symbiotic relationship with the great outdoors.

In its latest commission, a beautiful timber building has been built in a Dartford park, created in a wild hidden woodland space dubbed the Ecology Island.

Makers Studio Weave are a young architectural team responsible for various regenerative art outbreaks across the country, including a £475,000 seafront scheme in Littlehampton and, for the Olympic Delivery Authority, a Floating Cinema based on a boat.

“They are possibly the most sought-after architectural practice in the UK,” says Fiona Boundy, the Director of Artlands.

“They are currently working on major projects at St Pancras and The Barbican in London.

“It is a significant triumph to get these multi-award winning architects to build something for the county of Kent when just about everybody else is trying to get them. It is a real coup for the area.”

That being said, they have had some help. Each of the 144 panels were painted in a special workshop held for local residents and artists, and designers Nous Vous are said to have created a bold graphic exterior which makes room for a bird hide, art studio, outdoor classroom and dyeing wokshop, allowing visitors to learn about natural dyes and textiles with the help of the North West Kent Countryside Partnership.

A horticulturalist has even helped to create a natural dye-yielding garden, with a planting scheme planned for next spring introducing colours from the region’s Golden Rod, Alder and Bugloss plants, sprouting magnificent yellows, vibrant reds and mesmerising blues in their wake.

Demountable washing lines, spinning wheels and looms will hold fabrics outside the space while they dry as part of an accompanying programme of activities planned this autumn.

• Open Saturday and Sunday 12pm-4pm. Admission free.