HA HA HAPPY - a new public artwork for Happy Mount Park

Covering more than 1,000 square metres, Lakwena’s work transforms the courts into a joyful technicolour landscape. Rows of vibrant interlocking tiles form a playful pattern of repeated “ha ha”s - the onomatopoeic imprint of laughter - while the word HAPPY rises powerfully around the perimeter. Drawing inspiration from Maya Angelou’s words, the artwork celebrates laughter as a vital human connection: contagious, bonding and essential to openness, safety and wellbeing.

HA HA HAPPY brings together Lakwena Maciver’s long‑standing interests in basketball courts, rural landscapes and large-scale urban interventions. Her work is celebrated internationally, from installations at the Artist’s Garden at Tate Britain and Somerset House, to projects in a juvenile detention centre in Arkansas, a monastery in Vienna, and the Bowery Wall in New York City.

Opened in 1927, Happy Mount Park was created during Morecambe’s rise as a popular seaside resort, shaped by the traditions of late Victorian and Edwardian municipal parks. The park takes its name from the naturally elevated area at the eastern end of the promenade - Happy Mount - which offered sweeping views across the sands of Morecambe Bay towards the Lakeland fells. These uplifting vistas continue to inspire visitors today, connecting generations with the beauty of the Bay.

Captivated by both the name and the spirit of the park, Lakwena sought to capture the happiness embedded in our shared experiences of civic green spaces. Her intensely coloured geometric designs create an immersive, welcoming environment where people are invited to gather, play and laugh together. Basketball, netball and football continue to be played on the fully functioning courts, with visitors leaping from HA to HA, inspired by the word HAPPY.

Lauren Zawadzki of Deco Publique says, “We’re delighted to present Lakwena’s work in Morecambe, where the scale and atmosphere of the Bay continues to inspire artists. Through the Coastal Commissioning Programme, we’ve invited artists to spend time with the Bay, to respond to its social, environmental and cultural landscape, and to create work that is both locally rooted and internationally resonant. Lakwena’s HA HA HAPPY is a joyful, generous expression of that dialogue, attuned to the social life of public space.

"This project has been shaped by strong collaboration with theCOLAB, Lancaster City Council and partners, creating a new landmark that brings people together through play, colour and shared experience. First presented in London, the work now has a permanent home in Morecambe, reflecting a shared commitment to environmentally responsible commissioning. It follows works presented in the Bay over the last 12 months by artists Daisy Collingridge and Elizabeth Clough. We thank our funders, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, for making Lakwena’s work possible.”