All posts tagged: Aruallan

‘Our Towns’ Brings Gillen and Pyatt and Artists to Basildon Walls

‘Our Towns’ Brings Gillen and Pyatt and Artists to Basildon Walls

“We are committed to improving our town centre and art and culture has a big part to play in its future,” says Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Andrew Baggott. “We are also committed to climate change and are working towards a carbon net-zero borough by 2050.”

With a new street art initiative called Our Towns, curators Doug Gillen and Charlotte Pyatt are tying together environmental and social concerns with new large-scale murals here in the Essex, UK town.

Marina Capdevila. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Partnering artists with the local schools, university, market and community organizations, Gillen and Pyatt have been introducing new public artworks all summer by international artists like Arches (Ireland), Franco ‘JAZ’ Fasoli (Argentina/Italy), and Marina Capdevila (Spain), as well as homegrown UK talents including Erin Holly, Gabriel Pitcher, INSA, Michele Curtis, and Helen Bur.

Helen Bur. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Aruallan)

While some on the roster are known for their street art and others have backgrounds in more formal studio practice, collectively perhaps their works are softening some of the brutalist edges of this town of just over 100,000 residents.

Helen Bur. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Aruallan)

Owing its name to an idea of challenging ourselves to see art and public space in original and meaningful ways that affect positive change, the Re:Framed project is steered by two pros in street art cultural production and analysis. “We are dedicated to developing new and innovative strategies to reposition the role of culture in social and environmental conversations,” says a joint statement by the curators.

“The Our Towns: Climate project will be our most ambitious to date, the legacy for which will see Basildon join the growing number of cities and towns across the world adopting the Global Goals.”

Giving their partnership the moniker Re:FRAMED, Pyatt and Gillen have worked in production, strategy, consultancy and documentation with art on the streets for approximately the last decade and plan to coalesce artists and organizations around social and environmental themes going forward. With high-quality artists and artworks like these, you can look forward to the two reframing both contexts and conversations in public space in their future.

Aches. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Gabriel Pitcher. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Erin Holly. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Aruallan)
Franco Fasoli. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Aurallan)
Franco Fasoli. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Michelle Curtis. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Michelle Curtis. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Michelle Curtis. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Insa. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)
Insa. “Our Towns”. Basildon, UK. September 2021. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Our Towns
Location Basildon, UK

Local assistants with whom this production would not have been possible without;

Ben Stewart | @fusion_walls        
Louis Cutts | @l.a.cutts.design
Scotty Brave | @bravearts
Annie | @lettersbetogether
Yuki Aruga | @yuki.aruga



Read more
“Change” A Short Film By Doug Gillen in Kosovo

“Change” A Short Film By Doug Gillen in Kosovo

“This is a celebration of them directly,” artist Helen Bur says as she describes her new six-story high painting in Ferizaj, Kosovo. Warm and idiosyncratic, it is a candid photo of local youth whom she paints in this once war-torn area. Even today, about 20 years after the end of hostilities and with the enormous “peace-keeping” US Camp Bondsteel nearby, a mixture of Albanians, Serbs, and Roma all are rebuilding a common life in the shadow of not-so-past events.

Axel Void and Helen Bur. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Besart Bega)

Given such taut social politics that govern the memories and leave their mark on the daily lives of residents, Scottish film maker Doug Gillen jumped in to record the observations and experiences of artists and local creators who were there for a mural festival. One current fashion for murals created for these public art events is to be “responsive” to the community. Undoubtedly you can see that many of these are reflecting the environment – including more literally the botanicals of the region.

Local Musician. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Elsewhere Gillen captures the stories of locals, including one resident who recalls being ‘usurped’ by a ‘hooligan’ who took over her attic and who brought sex workers there during the conflict. You can sense the relief she feels to finally tell her story in a public way. These singular stories provide clarity and can be rather jewel-like.

Muralist Ampparito touches on the denial that is also in play as he describes his mural which addresses the ultimate non-controversial topic bound to engage a respectable constituency: weather.

Aruallan and Axel Void. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Aruallan)

“When you arrive at a place that you don’t know and you want to talk about serious stuff” the artist explains with a smile, “I think you have to be careful.” For both the sensitive and the coarse, it is a given; whether its political or personal self-censorship, it will enter the life of an artist at one point. “It’s like when you don’t talk about something, sometimes you say more than if you don’t talk about it.”

You can see how the commitment to acknowledging and participating with community is realized by a talented collection of artists – like the aforementioned Ampparito, Aruallan, Micheal Beitz, Helen Bur, Emilio Cerezo, Doa Oa, Alba Fabre, Ivan Floro, Maria Jose Gallardo, Retry One, Zane Prater, Vlada Trocka and Axel Void.

A local on Ferizaj. Mural Fest Kosovo/Void Projects. Ferizaj/Kosovo. (photo © Doug Gillen)

Artist and organizer Axel Void may embody similar contradictions as he describes goals of the pro-artist organization named after himself. “In a way it’s a similar idea to every, like, Void Projects – which is pretty much trying to cut out the middle man and trying to have a more direct interaction between the artist and the people.” That being said, the annual mural festival relies on private and institutional partners, staff, professionals, and the efforts of volunteers to mount it as well as a biosphere of media professionals and amateurs and private platforms to help Void and the artists get the word out about their creations around the globe.

Executive producer Lebibe Topalli rests her finger carefully upon the local pulse, and she parses words gently when describing the challenges of mounting this event today as she thinks of Kosovo of two decades ago. To even have considerations regarding the ‘art world’ at an earlier time “would have been a luxury,” she says. 

“The difference is best recognized by the people who have experienced it.” As the debate in the street art world continues about the elusive ideal mix of factors for the perfect mural festival, filmmaker Gillen helps capture those who struggle as well with their sense of responsibility to the community.

Produced by Fifth Wall TV in collaboration with the Kosovo Mural Festival and Void Projects

Film Executive Producer Charlotte Pyatt

Read more