Art / eastville
Crowdfunder launched to turn ‘grotty’ wall into community mural
An arts project that turns neglected walls into colourful community murals has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its next effort in Eastville.
Residents will be invited to help transform the wall on Gadshill Road into the latest mural by Brick Project, an arts community interest company where anyone can pick up a paintbrush and decorate their own painted brick.
Unlike conventional murals painted by a single artist, the project works are made up of hundreds of individual contributions, ranging from doodles, names and cartoon characters to memorials, quotes and private thoughts.
Artist and founder Dan Petley said: “Everybody who walks past can take part, painting whatever they feel like.”
The Newtown mural in Lawrence Hill is impossible to miss
“It is this mass of people’s feelings and ideas becoming public,” added Dan. “Nobody is ever turned away.”
The project grew from Dan’s frustration with what he described as exclusion in the arts, and a desire to create something radically open. To date, it has transformed walls in Bristol, London and as far as Bulgaria.
“When someone says, ‘I’m not an artist,’ and then you say, ‘Well, you are – here is a paintbrush,’ that’s a beautiful thing.
“By day three, word spreads, and everybody is painting next to each other. You have people who would never talk to each other in everyday life expressing themselves collectively.”
The Gadshill Road mural in Eastville will brighten up the pedestrian zone next to the bus stop
That spirit of shared ownership is what co-director and artist Fraisia says makes the project different from traditional arts spaces.
“We’re not only inviting people to participate – they are the artists,” she said. “There is no line between artist and participant, because they are the same thing.”
Because the projects happen in the street, she said there is “no threshold for participation”.
“You might find yourself painting alongside someone experiencing housing insecurity, someone who speaks another language, someone much older or younger than you – and everyone can express themselves equally.
“Every painting is as important as the one next to it.”
That openness has led to moments that stay with organisers long after the paint has dried.
Fraisia recalled two young girls who came back every day in summer 2023, perfecting their Barbie-themed bricks during the height of ‘Barbenheimer.’
The organisation brings the community together and shows everyone that they can be an artist
Fraisia also remembered a man who passed the project daily with his tiny dog, joking his way out of joining in.
“We’d ask every day if he wanted to paint and he’d just tell a joke to deflect us,” she said.
“Finally, we persuaded him to paint a brick of his dog. You could tell he surprised himself.”
The new Gadshill Road project came together after funding bids fell through, leaving the team reliant on crowdfunding and volunteers to make it happen.
“Normally, we’d wait a year for funding,” Dan said. “This time we decided we’re going to do it regardless.”
The hope now is that local support can get their fundraising target over the line.
Brick Project creates social painting activities that strives to draw communities together
For Fraisia, the mural is about much more than brightening up a tagged wall.
She hopes the finished wall will become “a place of wondering and connection – a place to pause and reflect, rather than a grotty wall no one pays attention to.”
“I hope people turn up feeling like the project is for them, a real chance to make a mark on the place they live, legitimately.”
The Brick Project’s Gadshill Road mural is planned for early June. To donate to the fundraiser, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/gadshill-road-brick-project and to find out more about Brick Project, visit brickproject.co.uk
Carla Wakfer is reporting on Eastville as part of Bristol24/7’s Community Reporters programme, aiming to amplify marginalised voices and communities often overlooked by mainstream media.
This initiative is funded by our public, Better Business members and a grant from the Nisbets Trust.
All photos: Brick Project
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