NORTHUMBRIA INVADES LONDON’S ART WORLD WITH POP-UP MURAL

The street art installation, which will showcase current students’ work from Architecture, Art, Design and Media, is one of a series of guerrilla art invasions created to mark Northumbria’s presence at the annual Free Range Art and Design shows held at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

Created by Northumbria Fine Art graduate Craig Mayhew, the 8ft by 20ft mural will remain in place for one week outside of the Brewery in Corbet’s Place and will debut on July 3 to coincide with London’s monthly First Thursday art extravaganza.

The 22-year-old from County Durham completed his degree in Fine Art BA (Hons) at Northumbria University last summer, and is now a full-time artist and director of North East community based art group, LUME Projects.

Craig said: “I specialised in print making as an undergraduate so the mural is going to be full of imagery and bold colours – a bit like a comic book but with a lot more packed in. Throughout the day, I’ll be layering vivid spray paint and paint markers on top of blocks of basic undercolour, and adding to this with hand drawn details.

“Flyers folded into origami will give the artwork another dimension and offer the audience something to take away for further information on Northumbria’s presence at the show. In my opinion, art shouldn’t be taken so seriously all the time so I’m looking forward to revealing this quirky touch and my interpretation of the talent on display.”

Moving projections of past and present students’ work will also take centre stage in three East London destinations on the same day after sundown to capitalise on First Thursday’s crowds, the venues for which will remain top secret until the night.

20-year-old Richard Tubman, a BA Hons Media Production graduate of Northumbria University from Whitley Bay, will provide production assistance on a piece of film footage being compiled to capture the creative process and projections in full.

Northumbria University has campuses in both Newcastle and London, and attends London’s art and design show series annually.

The shows offer an unparalleled opportunity for students to present their work to their peers as well as prospective employers with a number going on to secure full time employment with high profile brands such as such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Black & Decker, Mulberry, Samsung, Unilever and Philips, amongst others.

Other key events which it is set to exhibit at over the coming weeks include New Blood – D&AD (1-3 July), New Designers (2-5 July) and Free Range Interiors (11-15 July).

Dr Heather Robson, Associate Dean, Business and Engagement for Arts, Design and Social Sciences at Northumbria University, said: “We have so much talent here at Northumbria and last year, we received over 80 international and national awards for our arts, design, media and architecture programmes.The shows are a significant date in the calendar for our graduating students, providing them with a platform to showcase their work to industry and employers.”

The mural will be on display to the public from 3-10 July in Corbet’s Place, outside Old Truman Brewery, London.

*Both images show the mural being created and are not the finished piece.

See Northumbria at Free Range Arts between 4^th and 7^th July and Free Range Interiors between 11^th and 14^th July