Last Chance To See Bold Artwork Designed By Warrington Residents and Created By Graffiti Dave

There are now just two weeks left to see bold graffiti art designed by Warrington residents and created by respected street artist Graffiti Dave.

Literally Murals is a stunning and thought-provoking exhibition at Warrington Museum & Art Gallery, ending on Saturday 25 March, which has given a voice to Warrington residents - some of whom are housebound or not always able to interact with their local communities.

As part of this unique collaboration between Culture Warrington's outreach and engagement team and Dave Eardley, aka Graffiti Dave, residents were visited at home and in community centres, and encouraged to communicate their thoughts and ideas through the striking medium of graffiti.

Dave, who specialises in typography, said: "I immediately loved the sound of the project. Getting to use graffiti art in a positive way and working with local residents - what's not to like?

"I spent a few afternoons meeting the residents and showing them my work. I chatted with them about their lives and what matters to them most, and then asked if they could sum their thoughts up in one word."

These words were then spraypainted onto huge canvasses, with Dave taking direction from the residents on colour schemes and typographical styles.

The residents, with help from Dave, also created some mini works of art to keep, as a memento of taking part in the project.

He added: "It was an honour and a privilege to be invited into people's homes and I hope those visits brightened up their day.

"I love working in the community and sharing what I do with other people. It's so satisfying to help people create a piece of work they're proud of... that's a feeling I wish I could bottle."

Dave's passion for graffiti began in 1984 when hip hop first began to infiltrate youth culture in Britain.

Although his first love was breakdancing and DJing, Dave admits he was too shy to take up something which would put him at the centre of a crowd.

"So I took up the graffiti element of hiphop," he said. "It suited my nature to be honest: you leave your mark and nobody knows who you are, and that really appealed to me as a 13-year-old."

Literally Murals is complemented by a selection of pieces by four contemporary street artists - Swoon, Elbow-Toe, Adam Neate and Blek le Rat - which are also on display at the other end of the gallery.

Derek Dick, outreach and engagement manager for Culture Warrington, said: "Street art is very much about self-expression and getting your message seen, so this was a novel way of giving the residents a chance to be heard.

"Some of the words are intended to be very striking and easy to read, while others are more cryptic in design and can take a little longer to decode.

"Literally Murals is an exhibition we're very proud of. Not only has it given a voice to residents who might sometimes feel less connected to their community, but it's done so through a medium of art which challenges the norm."

Dave added: "I'd like to thank Warrington Museum & Art Gallery for being brave enough to use this art form as it's so misunderstood. Hopefully between us all we've shown that it can be used in a positive way.

"And thankyou to the residents for their enthusiasm and for making me feel so welcome. I hope I did them all proud!"

For more information, visit www.warringtonmuseum.co.uk.

To post a comment, you must register and login.