The mural painting is over and we have worked faster than ever before.
From Friday to Sunday during two weekends we’ve been on St Peter's Dock, Ipswich Waterfront with artists Lily Hammond, Frederico Ramos, Verity Slade, Nikki Goldup and Keith Hopewell painting three new murals along with so many of you - wonderful volunteers!
The sun shone, and then it didn't, but everyone got stuck into the art. Artists trusted volunteers to not only paint but to add their own creative mark to the mural.
Rabab, a volunteer who is an artist herself, added to Nikki and Keith's mural design - she incorporated Arabic calligraphy, which was perfect as Nikki and Keith found inspiration for the design from workshops with children at the Kurdish Mosque.
"I'm so happy [to be] involved with this kind of art. So happy and proud to present these people who are isolated, the part of society […] who don't speak English but recognise their language on the mural."
A passerby was equally pleased to see the new murals being painted:
"This bit of the town has always been neglected and it needs to be looked after, brought up, made a little bit better, a little bit nicer for people in the town. It's such a nice thing to walk past and see nice art work."
During this weekend we have seen again the power of art - how it brings people together, how it puts smiles on faces, and how it can enrich a town.
Huge many thanks to Kent Blaxill Ipswich for donating lots of lovely paint and to Hicks Carpets on Norwich Rd for donating 18 meters of carpet underlay to protect the pavement from splashes!
If painting is not your thing, then come celebrate ‘20 years of Stoke’ the 20th birthday of Stoke Bridge Skate Park on Saturday 28th May as Skate Suffolk, Hoax and Art Eat put on a celebration full of skateboarding!
Or, if you like the attention being on you, and you’ve got skills to share, please come to Dulce Duca’s 'Streets with Attitude' workshops from the 30th May to the 3rd June. For anyone with wheels, and especially open to young people over 11 years old, this project works towards a street performance on the 4th June.
Keep an eye on our socials for more details!
Image Credits
Photos by Raquel Stirling and by Matei Muntiu
Generously supported by Suffolk County Council and the Covid Continuity Fund for Culture and part of Hullabaloo22.
