The Chaddlewood Subway Project
Art and Energy have joined Plymouth-based CIC organisations Clean Our Patch and Pollenize, to help deliver the ‘Chaddlewood Art and Nature Subway Project.
The project was initiated in 2021 by then community campaigner, and recently-elected Green Party Councillor, Ian Poyser. After speaking to local residents he understood that the subways in the area had been an issue and a location for anti-social behaviour. He and artist Ellie Johnson, better known as Mrs Murals, came up with a plan to decorate all 6 Chaddlewood underpasses with bright colourful artworks promoting an environmental message and promoting the importance of protecting nature. In 2021 the project began with a successful Crowdfunder, followed by a funding bid to Plymouth Octopus Project’s Collectives fund.
An important element of the project has been connecting with locals who use the subways on their daily journeys. Mrs Murals has particularly enjoyed connecting with walkers, cyclists and commuters. She has incorporated many of their colour and imagery requests in her designs. The final subway will be particularly special, with children from the two local primary schools invited to create designs for Ellie to work from… and that’s where Art and Energy and the rest of the collective come back into the story!
On the 11th May we visited Glen Park Primary School for a Subway Project Art Session spending the day with 120 year 3 & 4 students (7-9 year olds). We began with an assembly, introducing the project, the partners, and the various ways that the children and their families can join in with our work. We were so impressed by the children’s knowledge, their enthusiasm and the things that they’re already doing to help the environment and wildlife. They were especially excited to hear that Clean Our Patch had brought 10 sets of litter-picking kit for the school to keep and use.
We then took a stroll in the rain to visit the blank canvas subway, visiting Mrs Murals at work in another subway, and looking for nature and energy inspiration in the neighbourhood. Back in the classrooms there were more in depth conversations about what we’d seen, the impact of litter on wildlife (glove-puppet turtle Peanut was very popular!), and what they would like to see in the subways in place of the usual graffiti. The children began to plan out their designs, with a wide variety of themes developing, including under the sea, hedgehogs, fairies and litterpicking-cats! In the afternoon they chose from a wide range of art materials to further develop their designs.
Art and Energy’s Jenny couldn’t help bringing energy into the conversation through out the day… As we walked back from the subway to the school we played energy eye-spy and talked about the local gas-powered energy plant and the school’s solar panels.
Before heading to lunch (energy direct to our bellies), the year 3’s were particularly energetic as they sketched energy doodles on a shared canvas using charcoal - the children drew the sun, light bulbs, wind turbines, cars, dinosaurs (we liked the idea that cars run on recycled dinosaurs), doughnuts (sugary energy) and even ourselves - then we added some magic using UV pens, drawing arrows and stars to highlight the energy, and adding energy-related words which were revealed by UV torches!
Thank you Glen Park Primary for sharing your energy and artist vision for the subways… I look forward to visiting again soon to see Mrs Murals’ finished artwork!
