Croydon Stands Tall

Croydon Stands Tall

Homelessness is not a choice, but rather a journey that many find themselves in.

Art Trail and Alec’s Artwork:

Croydon Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with creative producers Wild in Art, proudly presents the captivating ‘Croydon Stands Tall’ art trail, an unmissable 10-week experience from August 21st to October 27th. Transforming the streets of Croydon into an open-air gallery, the trail features over 30 majestic giant giraffe sculptures, each a unique canvas reflecting the creativity of local artists, schools, and communities. Among these remarkable creations, stands Alec’s giraffe sculpture for the charity Crisis & @centralewhitgift.

This @wildinart Croydon Stands Tall art trail will see dozens of giraffes hit the Croydon streets in August. The piece is called ‘Concrete Jungle’ takes inspiration from the town centre and Croydon’s green spaces. “The thing I love about Croydon most is its complex diversity, not just in its cultures, styles, food, music & ethnicities, but in its landscape & rich heritage, I wanted to represent the borough through a blend of the green of a jungle (as Croydon is one of London’s greenest boroughs) with the more commonly known citified, concrete landscape that dominates the centre. At the same time, it is a mixed-media, abstract eruption of vibrant colour and patterns celebrating the distinctive blend of people in Croydon”. All the money raised from the auctions of the giraffes will go to @crisis_uk to help combat homelessness in Croydon. This art trail is part of London’s borough of culture 2023.

Supporting a Worthy Cause

More than an artistic showcase, the ‘Croydon Stands Tall’ trail serves a greater purpose. Following weeks of admiration, exploration, and engagement, these stunning giraffe sculptures unite for a farewell weekend before embarking on a new journey. Through a special auction event, these artworks will find new homes while raising essential funds for Crisis Skylight Croydon. Crisis Skylight Croydon is dedicated to tackling homelessness and its underlying causes, providing vital support to those in need. By joining the ‘Croydon Stands Tall’ experience, you’re not only embracing the beauty of art but also contributing to meaningful change in the community.

Concrete Jungle has had some great coverage in the press. Being shown on The BBC and ITV as well as many newspapers.

 

Creating a Legacy

After being selected as one of the professional artists to represent the trail I wanted my students to have the experience to exhibit their art in a public space whilst also contributing to their community. A whole school inclusive project where every child submitted at-least one entry to represent our school in design and name. I chose the winner ‘Puzzle’ for the children to paint.

Over 500 fingerprints are represented on Puzzle’s base from all pupils and adults that attend the school 

I have teamed up with some young people to create their own giraffe.

 

After the success of our first Giraffe ‘Puzzle’ we are asked by Croydon Bid to create a second which we named ‘Tropicanta’ Please check out the Croydon Stands Tall App to find out more.

I look forward to working with Wild in Art again soon.

 

Creative Debuts: Thank You!

Creative Debuts: Thank You!

A massive thank you from myself and the whole Living Free collective to everyottne who has supported us in any way shape or form. This was only our second show ever!

It wouldn’t have been possible without the Creative Debuts team. They’ve been incredible throughout the whole process and we fully support their movement. All the hard work was warmly received, and as ever I have been overwhelmed by the positive response.

Below are some photos of the launch night captured by Jonathan Simpson.

The event is on until 2nd May and I have a lot more planned. So watch this space.

Living Free Launch Night

I am proud to announce a month long residency at Matthews Yard Gallery in Croydon as part of the Living Free Art Collective from 6th October until 1st November 2015.

The Living Free Art Collective is a group of creatives mainly based in South London. What bonds all the work together is the energy of artists, photographers, poets, performers and creatives. The positive energy about what they do and the ideas they want to express. Each person in the collective is unique to themselves and a creative in their own right. Each individual is different to the next and most importantly is able to share what they want.

 

Living-Free-Art-Collective-_Exhibition-Online

Join me and the collective between 6pm and 10pm on Wednesday 7th October for the collective’s launch night and mingle with some of London’s freshest talents that include photography, art, illustration , music, poetry, film and baking.

You can find full details from our Events page >

Croydon Art District

I will be taking over Matthews Yard along with some other local artists in October find more details on our events page closer to the event.