13 new murals RePainted in London

The murals were designed in consultation with the various communities they are brightening.

Alice says;

“When living in London I worked as a community engagement officer for the Forest Recycling Project which was part of the national Community RePaint network. They provided people from low-income backgrounds with affordable paint. New household paint is very expensive and there is a loop hole that councils don’t make housing stock available to those most in need if they can’t afford to professionally decorate it. The paint project bypasses this issue allowing properties to be decorated at minimal cost.

Whilst working with Forest Recycling Project I started a mural project that used the saved household paints from going to landfill and repurposed it for street art, while at the same time promoting the Community Repaint scheme. I initiated and fundraised for the mural project as I thought the repaint scheme was wonderful but they had no budget for publicity so not enough people knew about it.

I ran design consultations and we completed over thirteen murals throughout London, painting many myself and working with different artists depending on what the community group wanted. Each one was designed in collaboration with the community who used the mural site. 

I loved this project as we enabled communities to have authorship over their environment together, saving paint from going to landfill while also improving the look and feel of areas of high social deprivation. All round Win!”

We love these murals, and the way they demonstrate just what can be achieved with preloved paint save from waste.

Alice Cunningham is a visual artist with a diverse practice working with a breadth of materials, renowned for her sculptural carvings and work in social engagement. Check out her website: www.alicecunningham.co.uk

Find out more about our East London scheme run by Forest Recycling Project. 

If you are looking for affordable paint locally: Click here to find your local scheme.