Participation in Practice: Graffiti hoarding paves the way for fire station transformation
Melodie Michel
Friday, September 16, 2011
Young people in Bristol have created graffiti hoardings outside a derelict fire station while it is transformed into a multi-million pound Myplace centre.
The hoardings will be used to keep the site safe during construction. The new centre, called The Station, is due to open in a year's time.
The Creative Youth Network (formerly Kingswood Foundation), which is planning the project, wanted to give young people a sense of ownership and allow them to express what they would like the centre to offer. Scenes of music, street art, dance and counselling were unveiled on the 32,000-square-foot display on 15 August.
Kieran Coles, 15, helped co-ordinate efforts between the city's various youth clubs. He said: "We left it to individual groups to decide what should be on their part of the hoarding, because we wanted it to represent all the areas in Bristol."
About 60 young people participated in the project, under the direction of graffiti artist Felix Braun. "It all went really well, and after that a lot of people started linking our page on Facebook," Kieran said.
Kieran and two others were invited to lead the youth involvement team because of their previous experience of running projects. They have meetings with various youth groups every other Monday to discuss The Station and are currently looking at the kind of dance classes it should offer.
The experience has taught Kieran to be more resilient and resourceful. "Never put ideas down," he recommends. "They might not seem realistic, but there's always the possibility to fundraise or adapt them to fit the budget."
The Station will contain art workshops, a 250-seat theatre, dance studios and a café, and provide counselling, sexual health advice and careers guidance.
