Kidbrooke’s long line of plain blue hoarding provided a perfect blank canvas to be painted as part of the London Mural Festival.
The London Mural Festival is a great opportunity to showcase art while regenerating areas of our city and bringing communities together. The murals are intended to stay in place after the festival to help bring attention to the areas that have been painted.
The mural was created on Sunday 29 September. We had local graffiti artists who each painted a five-metre section using the Kidbrooke colour palette and incorporating the shapes of the building and the branding to tie the art into the surrounding space.
This event is part of a long-term plan to create a vibrant creative quarter led by the community at Kidbrooke, through a series of events, activities and work with local artists.
The mural is the first step in opening this spot up to the public - our construction partners Ardmore have their site office in the space, but they will be moving soon, leaving it empty for the next five years. To fill the space we’re planning a monthly market that’ll bring more people in, build the community and help local businesses.
The London Mural Festival is London’s biggest street art celebration. Their aim is to increase the amount of public art in London and give artists a canvas to showcase their work in public.
Public art fosters a sense of pride in our streets and brings positivity, unity and colour to London. On average locations with murals see an increase of 30% in footfall as people go to admire the artwork and take pictures. It’s already working as a number of passers-by stopped to take pictures and chat with the artists on the day.
Since the London Mural Festival started in 2020, they’ve painted a total of 10,000 square metres which has translated to over 75 murals across 13 boroughs, created by more than 200 local and international artists, involving more than 50 partners. The festival has a huge impact in the media getting over a billion impressions on social media and in the press, featuring in nine broadcast TV features and reaching press in 11 countries.
They also have a strong environmental, social and governance approach as part of Can for Can, which means for each can of paint used for sponsored murals, they will match a can of paint for community murals.
This is partnership working at its best – none of it would have been possible without NHG homes and Folio teaming up with our places and estates team to bring the project to life. We’re delighted to bring a lasting legacy for Londoners to Kidbrooke.
