As a creative organisation, we have a great passion in getting the public involved in creative expression and making a huge community Mural is a fantastic way to do that. We just love making big, exciting or important art with messages and putting them out into the world!
We are exceptionally thrilled when local organisations contact us asking us for help bring creative ideas to life and this summer Word Up North, from Bradford did just that.
Bradford, is a city that holds a special place in our Sand In Your Eye’s heart as it’s where our very own Jamie Wardley was brought up and where he create the epic Charles Darwin Sand Sculpture in 2009.
When Word Up North contacted us about their project idea for the BBC Contains Strong Language poetry weekend of a community mural, we were thrilled to be involved.
The Concept: A Canvas for the Community
The brief was brilliant: to create a large-scale, painted ground mural in City Park. But this wasn’t just our artwork; it was designed to be a living piece that the entire community could take part in developing over the event’s weekend.
At the centre of our design, we created a large vector portrait of Kirsty Taylor, a celebrated Bradfordian Spoken Word Artist , grounding the artwork firmly in the city’s vibrant local scene.
The Process: Paint and Participation
This project had two distinct phases.
Phase 1: The Foundation On the Friday before the event weekend, our team—Dave, Jonathan, and Dan—went to City Park to lay down the more permanent part of the mural. Using durable, eco-friendly, vibrant, mural floor paints, they skilfully painted Kirsty’s portrait and the design’s framework, setting the stage for the weekend. Kirsty even came herself and was so excited to see a painted version of herself on the ground of her city.
Phase 2: The Community Over the weekend, Dave and Dan were on-site to welcome the public. This is where the magic really happened. We invited people and families to come and add their own chalk pictures to the mural, giving them prompts based on the theme: “What does Bradford mean to you?”
More Than Just a Mural
Now, the weather wasn’t particularly on our side over the weekend. However, this didn’t dampen the spirits of the people attending one bit!
It was absolutely brilliant to watch the mural fill up with personal stories, drawings, and messages, bringing thought, creativity, and a real sense of community bonding to the event.
The mural became a focal point amidst all the other wonderful activities,
including a story bus and other performances. We were just so proud to have
been part of an event that so beautifully celebrated Bradford, its people, and its
powerful stories.
