Excitement brewing ahead of start of Wild Walls festival in Ipswich later this week
Excitement is brewing ahead of the start of a month-long arts festival in Ipswich later this week.
The team behind the Wild Walls Festival have been hard at work getting the town centre ready for the start of the event on Friday.
In the lead up to the event, a few murals have been painted on buildings across Ipswich.
This includes a commission on the walls of The Hold.
Peterborough artist Nathan Murdoch was tasked with painting the piece on the side of the building.
He said the design came as a result of art workshops throughout the summer.
He said: “The design has been influenced by the Archives’ important work, which includes safeguarding and storing historical records, and supporting the public in their research and education.”
“The mural shows a hand which is holding a portal - this suggests the ability to time travel. There is also a book with origami butterflies, made with folded archive records, flying out of the pages.”
Mr Murdoch said this referenced historical stories flying out of the portal into the present day – and how information is accessible to the public in Suffolk and beyond.
“The round portal is a seafaring reference, with The Hold being based close to the Waterfront and Ipswich being a maritime town,” he added.
The Wild Walls festival was created through a partnership between Ipswich Central Business Improvement District (BID), Art Eat and The Subversiv Collective.
It runs from Friday until October 5 and includes workshops, an art market, an art trail street tour, cinema screenings and a virtual reality graffiti art exhibition.
As part of the festival, a design was painted on the steps outside The Buttermarket Shopping Centre, in Arras Square.
It was designed by Frankie Rose.
Another mural, in the form of a ladybird, has been painted on the side of Ashton Legal’s offices in Portman Road, the brainchild of urban artist WOSkerski.
The London-based artist said the goal of the mural, as well as the surreal style of his work, was not only to make people smile, but also to make them stop and try to interpret the art in their own way.
WOSkerski added: “A cute ladybird makes people smile, and when you look closer, you realise some of its spots are missing. Instead, you have members of the community making their own mark on the ladybird's shell, which can also be seen as them making a difference.
“This is empowering. It also portrays the joy that people feel when doing something artistic. I hope the people of Ipswich enjoy and have fun with the mural.”
The legal firm said it was proud to support the festival and was delighted with the new mural on the side of its office.
Janette Wand, from Ashtons, said: “We are passionate about supporting local causes and I am sure our unique design and all the others will bring inspiration and energy to the town.
“Being part of this progressive endeavour has been incredibly rewarding. Not only has it enhanced our company’s reputation as an employer and engaged corporate citizen, but it also showcases the fantastic community-focused creativity that Ipswich is known for.
“In fact, the town is now being compared to Brighton thanks to its independent creative scene – and we're delighted to be part of it.”
