International artists Nomad Clan unveil huge murals in Parr to highlight community spirit

The murals are spread across the walls of Wisey's Newsagents and Barbara's Hairdressers on Rudd Avenue.

They have been developed in partnership with local arts organisation Heart of Glass and Torus Foundation, and funded by Arts Council England as part of the Creative People and Places programme.

Taking local people's ideas on board, one of Nomad Clan's murals titled Follow the Light depicts the the proud ancestral heritage of Parr and St Helens, with a nod to the area's industrial history.

Filmic and dreamlike, it depicts an illuminated lantern, with moths all around.

The street artists Nomad Clan beside Follow the Light, which  depicts the the proud ancestral heritage of Parr and St Helens (Pic: Radka Dolinska)

Opposite, a second mural, Keep Going Keep Growing, depicts the head of a young person surrounded by a cloud of colourful motifs.

It represents the crisis of mental health – yet also incorporating a positive angle of how community can offer individuals a chance to overcome this and be a part of something bigger, as well as highlighting the small things that can bring people peace.

The work of Nomad Clan, namely Jay Gilleard and Hayley Garner, intend to draw attention to the socio-economic, environmental, or humanitarian issues that are affecting the particular area they are working in, and has been displayed in places as diverse as New York, Bali, St Petersburg, and now Parr, St Helens.

The community of Parr, their issues and their history lie at the heart of this project and local people have been directly involved throughout the creative process, discussing what they wanted the artwork to represent.

This discussion – taken place over a period of around four months with weekly consultations and zoom meetings - enabled the artists to listen to all the concerns, ideas and suggestions of local people and encapsulate this into their murals.

The designs of the project were developed through workshops with local residents led by Nomad Clan and Heart of Glass artist-in-residence, Michelle Wren

St Helens-born artist Michelle has spent the past months meeting local groups and residents and listening to their experiences, memories and hopes for the area and will be continuing to develop more work in Parr with Heart of Glass.

A little boy looks up at one of the murals (Pic: Radka Dolinska)

Speaking to the local community in Parr, Jay and Hayley said: "We were just door-knocking and having a chat with the local about what life's like out here and gaining an understanding of the core issues and also the core pride of the place.

"We paint it and we get to leave. It's for the people so it has to be something that they can relate to."

The artists added: “We wanted to share a sense of how the bonds that we have with our ancestors shape our futures today, and the idea that we have to look into the past to understand where we have come from.

A horse featured as part of the unveling on Friday (Pic: Radka Dolinska)

We think it's important that places like Parr hold these stories and histories and look forward. By illuminating the magical parts of Parr, which are often overlooked, we wanted to create a sense of wonderment for residents and surrounding areas of St Helens.”

The large-scale murals, across the road from Derbyshire Hill Family Centre, will remain on Rudd Avenue to serve as a constant reminder to the community spirit and heritage of the area.

Nomad Clan, partners, and local residents unveiling the work on Rudd Avenue

Further artwork and murals will also be popping up around Parr later in the year, as part of Heart of Glass' partnership with Torus Foundation.

Angharad Williams, head of programme, Heart of Glass said: "So many people have told us what it means to see their stories told in such a beautiful piece of public art. Nomad Clan have done an incredible job of interpreting the community’s ideas. We’re excited to see how the story continues to unfold as we develop more art projects with the people of Parr over the coming months.”

Local resident and chair of the Sexton Park Community Allotment Paul Llewellyfeels the artworks tell an important message.

He said: “We’re very proud of our history and these murals capture it and offer a fresh creative perspective for the young people coming through – which is about exploring your mind and reaching your potential.”

Helen Cibinda Ntale, Head of Health and Wellbeing, Torus Foundation says: “As well helping to fund such an amazing project, it’s been a pleasure to help bring together ideas and showcase the Parr community. It’s incredible to see how the artists have taken on board ideas and stories from the community workshops that we were delighted to be part of.

“Developing relationships with key local partners like Heart of Glass is an important part of how we’re delivering our vision of stronger communities and the project fits perfectly into a wider programme of work that the Foundation is undertaking to improve liveability in Torus neighbourhoods.

Through Nomad Clan’s final concept, the murals will be a great opportunity to celebrate the sense of pride in place that’s felt across Parr and our Torus neighbourhoods.”