A permanent sculpture by artist Grayson Perry is to be unveiled in Barking later this month.

The work, called Inspiration Lives Here, will be situated in the central courtyard of A House for Artists in Linton Road and will be free for the public to see.

The two-metre wide lamp will be in the form of a row of semi-detached houses and the piece's starting point was the Becontree Estate in Dagenham.

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Grayson, who won the prestigious Turner Prize in 2003, said: “This lamp is a small monument to social housing. I spent half of my childhood living in such a house and most of my extended family lived out their lives in a council house.

"In a time of unaffordable housing here in the UK a council house seems like an unattainable dream.

"I wanted the lamp to have an air of nostalgia for a time when people tinkered in sheds and kids ran wild, when the Becontree Estate was the home of wartime heroes and Ford workers."

The lamp also features a Ford car - Grayson revealed his father's first car was a Ford Anglia - and Transit van.

It will launch later this month and the work was commissioned by Create London and funded by Art Fund.

Grayson is an ambassador for A House for Artists, which provides 'affordable' housing and workspaces for 12 artists and their families.

He has presented numerous solo exhibitions across the globe and was awarded a CBE for services to contemporary art in 2013.

Marie Bak Mortensen, director of Create London, felt the sculpture would be "an illuminating symbol of creativity".

It was also hailed by Barking and Dagenham Council's deputy leader Saima Ashraf, who said: "An already exciting space just got even more exciting. We’re so pleased to welcome Grayson Perry’s wonderful sculpture as a permanent fixture to Barking town centre.

"It represents so much about our community as a shining beacon of light and is a truly fantastic addition to the borough’s growing creative spaces."

An event, on November 30, to mark the sculpture's unveiling will be held for residents and schools.

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