Murals for Marks Gate

The mural of whales and roses in the subway was so well received by local residents, we have decided to bring public art to more of Marks Gate. TfL are scheduled to apply the whale mural with anti-graffiti paint and improve the lighting and surfacing of the subway. Meanwhile, we have been busy asking you to get involved in designing art for your area. We ran street art workshops in the week commencing October 12th. These were well attended and were really inspiring, with nine children and some of their parents getting involved.

On the second day of workshops we went on a walk around Marks Gate, taking photos and making notes. We were inspired by nature and the opportunities to fill Marks Gate with colour. Gracie May, Alfie and Bobby came up with several ideas. One was to paint different processes of transformation, from a leaf changing colour, to a figure breaking into a run, to an ape evolving to become a man. Another idea was to change the posts in the park, which used to be play equipment, into colourful totem poles. Another idea was to paint flocks of birds as wayfinding along the buildings, guiding people to the park.

During the rest of the workshops participants were invited to develop some of these ideas.

As a result of the workshops, Tom Berry, the artist who designed and painted the subway mural, has begun to develop sketches for future murals. We will be asking the shops along Rose Lane if they will let us paint their shutters with birds to brighten up the high street. See the images below and let us know what you think!

Proposal for street art on Rose Lane: