If you have ever fancied a trip to Wonderland but don’t much fancy stumbling down a rabbit hole, Dartford’s Orchards Shopping Centre could well be the next best thing.

Artist Stephen Oliver has been renting units in the mall for three years, but never has his studio looked quite as zany as it does now.

As well as displaying his own impressive work, Stephen has invited artists to contribute their takes on Lewis Carroll’s classic work in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Some of the results include a blood-drenched Jabberwocky, a rather disturbed looking Mad Hatter, and the bluntly named Fat Alice. You would have to be half mad to dream this up.

Stephen said: “The submissions have been really diverse in both structure and design.

“Alice is Wonderland can be interpreted in so many different ways. People put their own personality on to the characters. Whether you see it as a dark story or a bit of family fun, it’s up to each individual really.”

“There are themes that I come back to so often like the First World War and the Battle of Agincourt, and the way I approach Alice isn’t that different. I tend to go towards the darker side. My artwork tends to be a little on the melancholy side in terms of the colour palette, so they are not far away from one another.”

Indeed, if your only exposure to the likes of the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat is from the classic Disney animation, you may well be in for a shock should you wander into Stephen’s studio. One depiction of Alice had a youngster in tears.

Stephen said: “I was working on it on the easel and a woman and her son came in.

“He wouldn’t look at it, his mum said ‘what’s the matter?’ and he pointed at it and just started crying! I felt a bit guilty after that, he was obviously really terrified!

“I guess it’s because a lot of people haven’t read the books; younger generations will have seen the Disney film but the books are so much more abstract. You only have to read a few pages and if you have a creative mind you just can’t help but get inspired.”

Among those who have been inspired are Phil Charles and Annie Taylor, the minds behind two of the more elaborate displays.

Phil has constructed a replica of the door Alice is forced to shrink down to the size of a mouse to enter, while Annie has used old cushions to construct rather frightful recreations of the Hatter and Queen of Hearts.

Submissions have come from all age groups and across the globe; 15-year old Katie Boxall submitted three Disney-inspired drawings and Steve Saville emailed through his own prints from New Zealand after hearing of the project through social media.

Plenty of Wonderland fans have got involved, with the crowning jewel of the project a sprawling canvas on display above the nearby car park lifts.

Stephen said: “The shopping centre are very good at getting involved. They commissioned a big canvas to go above the lifts by the entrance, and there were 53 artists involved with that one.

“At first the plan was that I do the drawing, put a grid over it, and then members of the public come along and choose which square they wanted to paint. I opened it up to the public because it was the anniversary of the first book.

“One family came in and they had a little girl called Alice, and I thought ‘we can’t leave Alice out!’. But she was only small so I thought about what she could do, and a handprint was perfect.”

The project has even attracted the attention of Dartford mayor Ian Armitt, whose upcoming Wonderland-themed party will feature some of Stephen’s creations. The shopping centre will also be getting cutouts of Alice and the Duchess for passers-by to snap photos with.

Stephen is certainly keeping busy, with each new creation more curious than the last. After a slow start, he is happy with the public reaction to this small slice of Wonderland.

He said: “The first six months there wasn’t much of a reaction, but the second half of the year people have been more aware of it.

“I think this one has done better than some of my other projects because people are more aware of Alice, especially with the anniversary coming up.”

Not content with the immense workload of running his own studio, Stephen is also one of the driving forces behind the Toy Appeal. His studio will act as one of the drop off points for locals to donate toys to children’s charities.

He said: “The Toy Appeal also gives people another reason to come in, and hopefully they’ll be drawn to the art from there.

“Seeing the Dartford community’s outstanding generosity at the gallery for last year’s Toy Appeal was a heart-warming experience for me, and I’m so glad it was a success.

“Last year we chose the Choices charity, which supports and provides refuge for mothers and children who have suffered from domestic abuse. It really did take off, and we had loads and loads of donations in here.”

Also benefiting from the appeal this year will be The Parents Consortium, a local charity that supports disabled children and their families. The appeal runs from today (Thursday) until December 13.

Drop-off points are at Stephen’s studio; Stone Parish Council Pavilion in Hayes Road, Stone; Wisdom Estates in Spital Street, Dartford; Darling Buds of Kent Florist in Chastillian Road, Dartford; and Practical Car and Van Rental in The Brent, Dartford.

Stephen’s Alice in Wonderland exhibition runs until the end of the year. Find out more about both projects at stephen-oliver-art.co.uk