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ST HELENS RESIDENTS AND INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED STREET ARTISTS ' NOMAD CLAN ' BEGIN WORK ON WORLD CLASS MURAL PROJECT
St Helens residents and internationally acclaimed street artists Nomad Clan have started work on a world class mural project .
Residents in Parr , St Helens have begun working with internationally-acclaimed street artist duo Nomad Clan on a new mural – the first of its kind in the area .
The project has been developed by local arts organisation Heart of Glass , in partnership with Torus Foundation and is funded by Arts Council England as part of the Creative People and Places programme .
The very first mural in the area , it will celebrate the area ’ s community spirit and reflect on its history . Presented on two large empty walls opposite each other on Rudd Avenue ( Wisey ’ s Newsagent and Barbara ’ s Hairdressers ), a key location in Parr , opposite Derbyshire Hill Family Centre , they are set to be completed and unveiled later in the summer .
Nomad Clan are an internationally-acclaimed , street art duo based in Manchester . Their stunning film-like murals often highlight social , environmental and humanitarian issues , such as social deprivation , the European migrant crisis and women ’ s rights . Often giant in scale , their work has been shown all over the world , from Colorado to St Petersburg and soon to be in Parr , St Helens . Each mural has a strong significance to the environment it sits in , combining epic film-like scenes often inspired by local heritage , folklore or current events . The main focus of the work is to proudly celebrate local history but on a deeper level subtly contains the socio-economic issues affecting the area .
The designs of the project are being developed through workshops with local residents and are being led by Nomad Clan and Heart of Glass artist-in-residence , Michelle Wren , with support from Heart of Glass and Torus Foundation .
St Helens-born artist Michelle Wren has spent the past months meeting local groups and residents and listening to their experiences , memories and hopes for the area .
Angharad Williams , Head of Programme , Heart of Glass says : “ At Heart of Glass , we believe art belongs everywhere and to everyone and so we are delighted that the first mural we are producing in St Helens is in Parr with the brilliant Nomad Clan . Their work has real beauty and integrity and we cannot wait to see what the people of Parr bring to this collaboration . Artist in residence Michelle Wren has already uncovered some great stories and we are excited to see how all of this work unfolds into a beautiful and significant public artwork for this area .”
Nomad Clan ’ s Jay Gilleard ( Cbloxx ) says : “ It ’ s a great honour to be painting Parr ’ s very first public murals , our hearts are set on celebrating the beautiful community spirit and unshakable endurance we have observed here , whilst at the same time reflecting back on its sturdy historical roots within famed northern industry . We look forward to creating something for people to escape into much like the abundance of greenspace around these parts , to inspire hope and to keep going / keep growing together .”
Kate Shone , Managing Director at Torus Foundation explains : “ The Foundation is proud to provide funding for this fantastic piece of work in St Helens and to help build support and engagement within the Parr community .
“ Developing strong relationships with key local partners like Heart of Glass is an important part of how we ’ re delivering our vision of stronger communities and the project fits perfecting into a wider programme of work that the Foundation is undertaking to improve liveability in Torus neighbourhoods . Through Nomad Clan ’ s final concept , the murals will be a great opportunity to celebrate the sense of pride in place that ’ s felt across Parr and our Torus neighbourhoods .”
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