Three artists and a small collective of photographers have been chosen by Croydon Council to help brighten up a series of walls in Thornton Heath.
The project is part of a wider programme of regeneration works worth £2.7m being delivered by the council in the local area.
Mat Pringle, Ben Connors, Philip Dennis, and members of the Snapshot Collective will be running workshops over the next few weeks to allow local people to share their own ideas and gain some new artistic skills along the way.
After the workshop sessions (the first two of which are this Saturday, 14 May) the artists will design and create large scale pieces of public wall art based on aspects of local architecture, the environment and the community. These will be curated by international architectural designers, YOU&ME, who specialise in exhibition design, art installations and high street regeneration projects.
“Public art is a brilliant way of engaging people’s imagination and developing a sense of pride in an area. I’m delighted we’ve been able to commission these talented local artists who I am confident will draw inspiration from the forthcoming workshops.”
Councillor Alison Butler, deputy leader and cabinet member for homes, regeneration and planning
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Mat Pringle is a life-long Croydon resident whose printmaking has featured on large-scale installations in Old Street and Oxford Street. His aim for Thornton Heath is to explore ways to represent local flora and fauna within his final design.
Ben Connors lists creating animated visuals for renowned DJ Giles Peterson amongst his many achievements. His wife was born in Thornton Heath, and he has lived in the area off and on for many years. Ben specialises in using his art to tell stories and give voices to people who otherwise go unheard. His aim is to create a piece of work that welcomes people to the area, giving them hope for the future.
The Snapshot Collective are a small group of photographers who want to make sure through their workshop that local people become ‘part of the art’. They are all active members of the local arts scene in and around Thornton Heath and aim to inspire people to appreciate their links with each other and the wider local community.
Illustrator and teacher Philip Dennis was also born and raised in Thornton Heath, but has had experiences across the globe, having spent three years working in Japan. His objective is to guide his workshop group through a series of sketches and drawings that will then be translated into bold graphical forms which can be incorporated into his final design.
Full details of the workshops and information on signing up is available at http://bit.ly/1UVtmx5
