Lambeth welcomes London Mural Festival

Lambeth council is working with Global Street Art to install murals across the borough as part of the London Mural Festival which runs from today (5 September) to the end of the month.

It will showcase more than 100 murals from some of the world’s best street artists. Themed around “connection”, the festival says it will bring together thousands of artists, communities, and visitors to celebrate London’s diverse people and places.

One of the first new murals created in Lambeth is Spanish artist Sebas Velasco’s A Lasting Place at Cobbett Street on the South Lambeth estate.

Inspired by the track of that name on Loyle Carner’s album Hugo, it depicts a young Brixton man with the lights of the overground station behind him.

“I have always been very interested in social architecture, but l had no idea that London, particularly Brixton, was so rich in these aesthetics,” Velasco told the Brooklyn Street Art website which says the mural stands as a narrative of Brixton’s character, shaped by the creative freedom Velasco was given.

Other sites for murals in Lambeth include the Fenwick Estate in Clapham, Brighton Terrace estate in Brixton, the Streatham Hill Estate, Notre Dame Estate in Clapham, the Gaskell Street estate in Clapham and the Woodvale Estate in West Norwood.

At Richard Atkins primary school on Kingswood Road in the Brixton Hill low traffic neighbourhood a mural on the school’s wall will be designed to celebrate the school’s values and include a story in comic form written by its pupils.

Lambeth council cabinet member for stronger communities Donatus Anyanwu, , said: “We are delighted to be hosting this creative event which will bring colourful and engaging artwork into the heart of our communities.

“It’s really inspiring, something for all generations to enjoy, and I look forward to see more of the street art that will be produced over the next four weeks.”