By Josie Moon, People and Place Ambassador
This is my final reflection on the Rutland Street Mural journey, for now. There are many ways to build a vision, and East Marsh United is full of resourceful, creative people who know how to amplify the voices of those who actually live here and walk these streets every day.
Public art is always going to divide opinion. It’s rarely meant to please everyone, and perhaps that friction is part of the point. But true public art must centre the public voice. An artist may have a brilliant idea, but if it is imposed on a public space without the community having a say in its form or content, then it isn’t public art, it’s just an imposition.
In my previous post about the death mural, that ill-judged critique of smokers that acted as a film set for a public health campaign, I had a lot to say about the intermediaries aka The Managers. In a classic display of bureaucratic unaccountability, no one wanted to say mea culpa for the whole sorry pickle.
For a short while, after the mural was painted out, we had a blank wall and breathing space. It was a relief. Our understanding was that any future work would involve full consultation. We were hoping for a spring or summer of buzzing creativity where residents shared ideas and got a chance to contribute to the creation of something that would be theirs. We imagined something lovely and lasting, grown from the soil of the East Marsh.
Alas.
The artist contacted us ready to paint immediately. We requested a pause to gather the community and ensure resident voices were at the heart of the project. That was deemed too much trouble. Before we could rally, the painting began.
What we are left with is an artist’s idea of what is appropriate for Rutland Street; a songbird with lyrics to Sympathy for the Devil trailing from its beak on strings of neon ectoplasm. The bird is attractive and the skill is obvious, but we have to ask: Who is it for? It certainly wasn’t born from us.
I could spend my energy being weary of this doing to culture, but our energy is too precious to waste on tables where we aren’t heard. We are choosing instead to build our own table. We are developing a discernment that refuses to settle for top down intervention, whether that’s in the art on our walls or the health of our streets.
Just as we deserve art that reflects our soul, we deserve an environment that reflects our value. It is a telling irony that while officials (who made them ‘official’ in our community?) fret over the long-term risks of smoking, they seem less exercised by the immediate health risks of fly-tipping and vermin. We are calling for a standard of dignity that recognises the reality of the whole person, from the air we breathe to the ground we walk on.
The neon strings on the wall aren’t ours, but the spirit of Rutland Street belongs entirely to the people. We aren’t defeated by the outdated methods of The Managers; we have simply outgrown them.
If you want to see where our energy is truly going, look away from the bird on the wall and look toward the corner of Rutland Street, at Shalom at St John’s and St Stephen’s Church.
There, the lights are shining brightly. In partnership with our local youth centre and the visionaries at Create Streets, a transformation is happening. What was once an unattractive corner is becoming a restorative garden and gathering space. This isn’t a project handed down from on high; it is a space designed by and for our youngsters.
Led by the tenacity of Carolyn, EMU’s Greening and Renewal Lead, and Rachel, our Creativity Lead, with the heart of Rev’d Kay Jones, this garden is a testament to what happens when young people are front and centre. It is a space of imagination and commitment, a piece of the East Marsh that actually belongs to the East Marsh.
The neon strings on the mural wall aren’t ours, but the soil in that garden is. We aren’t defeated by outdated methods; we have simply outgrown them. The light isn’t just on, it’s shining brightly.
Watch this space. We’re just getting started.
