Two renowned Southsea artists have transformed an underpass
in Emsworth with artwork thanks to a huge community effort.
Disney characters, The Pink Panther and bird murals
are among the ‘amazing’ street art designs painted by Chris
Reeves (who paints as Berk) and Mark Jones (better known as
Fark) from The Corner Collective in Southsea, at Washington
Road’s underpass.
The project, funded by Havant Borough Council, was
unveiled with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Mayor of
Havant, Councillor Rosy Raines and the Mayor’s Consort,
Graham Raines.
Art teacher Lucy Lawrence joined forces
with Emsworth councillor Lulu Bowerman to get the project
underway after she saw an opportunity to transform a
‘miserable’ passageway into a colourful space for school
children and adults to enjoy.
Lucy, from Emsworth, said: “The underpass has been
miserable for a long time. I’m aware that a lot of school
children pass through here. There are issues with flooding
and lighting and it’s time to make it a better space for
them.
“I spoke to Lulu and I said can we have permission to paint
here? Fortunately we could get some funding and the
Emsworth Residents Forum held the money so that we could
have the funding.”
A team of firefighters from Emsworth Fire Station
scrubbed down the underpass with help from Matt at charity
Bridge to Unity to prepare the site, before community
volunteers painted the undercoat.
Artists Chris and Mark spent 16 hours over two days bringing
the walls to life with vivid designs. Art included lettering
against the back-facing wall saying ‘Love Emsworth’ and
Disney characters; Chip and Dale, Goofy, Donald Duck, Minnie
Mouse and Mickey Mouse.
Chris said: “It felt great. I love this kind of
thing. Especially when it’s an abandoned-looking space and
coming in and filling it with colour and cartoons takes that
horrible edge off.
“We wanted it to really appeal to
children but also when adults walk through, they can just
think that’s something from my childhood too. It works on
all levels really.
“Kids who were walking through and showed an interest, we
would ask them if they wanted their names on the wall so
when they walked back through they could say ‘oh look,
that’s me’. They really liked that.”
Lucy ran a free street art workshop at Emsworth Community
Centre for school children in the area where designs were
judged by the Mayor of Havant. The competition winners were
able to paint a small square of the underpass with help from
The Corner Collective artists.
Cllr Raines said: “There is so much talent within the
borough, especially Emsworth but also the street artists are
so clever to perform and do what they’re doing. It will be
really nice for the children when they are coming to school
to see things that they recognise and names they recognise.
“When the children are coming through there are things to
look at. It makes them happy, which puts them in a good mood
for coming to school.”
Cllr Bowerman added: “This is what community is all about.
This is about getting local people involved and it’s about
the fabric of our society. You can see the effort, you can
see the colours. It’s a great community art project.”
Chris Reeves (Berk) and Mark Jones (Fark) from The Corner
Collective in Southsea, have reinvigorated the Washington
Road, Emsworth, underpass in a community project funded by
Havant Borough Council. Photo: Hollie Busby
The News 5th April
