Residents and artists in Queen’s Park have designed and painted a new wall mural to celebrate the themes of communication, community and unity.
The mural is a collaboration between residents, Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) and bpha and was inspired by the Covid-19 lockdowns.
The mural, located at 60 Carlisle Road, was painted by 49 local residents and artists during the February half-term. bpha donated the use of the wall and cleared space for a community planting project in the future.
It depicts universally recognised symbols of communication such as the symbols for WiFi, Bluetooth, USB ports, letters and phones, poetically transformed into a cheerful Springtime landscape picture.
Throughout a series of workshops local residents shared how these symbols made them feel connected to loved ones across the world, even when things like Covid-19 lockdowns kept people apart.
BCA invited children and families to work with a team of artists, illustrators and facilitators to come up with a way of using these comforting symbols of connection to create an uplifting, positive scene to brighten the previously overgrown wall.
The project was delivered by lead artist and Queen’s Park resident, Andy Holden, in partnership with illustrator David Vallade, resident mural expert Paul Nicolson, Amina Pagliari, and Emily Alleyne and over 40 children and parents who participated in designing and painting the mural to create the finished result.
Ami Aubrey, Programme Producer for BCA, said: “Many people told us that symbols for communication like the WiFi symbol offered them comfort and eased anxiety, reminding them that because of technology they were always connected to their loved ones.
“In such a multi-lingual community as Queen’s Park, where many residents have loved ones all over the world, it felt like a great way to create a large participatory mural using these themes and to produce something beautiful to brighten this corner of the ward.
“We are so proud of the amazing team of dedicated local residents and children who participated in the creation of this mural and have helped to make it unique.”
The mural is part of the Take Part Queen’s Park project. Take Part Queen’s Park is an art project both inspired by and created with the community of Queen’s Park in Bedford.
Through engaging residents of all ages with the creative arts and exploring Queen’s Park’s cultural diversity, the project seeks to celebrate and strengthen residents’ sense of place and community and share that with the wider residents of Bedford.
It is delivered in partnership with The Higgins Bedford and funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Harpur Trust and housing association bpha.
