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Sunday 13 August 2023

Vibrancy Fund

 



The story behind the huge new mural brightening up Iron Gate

It's been painted on the historic old Foulds music shop building

A huge new three-storey front-facing mural - the first of its kind in the city - has appeared on the front of the historic Foulds music shop building on Iron Gate. It's the brainchild of artist Liz Le Drew, and came to fruition after her community project Thrivemind Village - hosted in the premises - was granted a sum of money from Derby City Council's Vibrancy Fund.

The Vibrancy Fund, subsidised by government funding, aims to "address the impact of Covid and decline in retail" in the city centre by "building pride in place" and "engagement in local culture and community". The fund aims to "support creative interventions by local artists into the fabric of the city" in the form of "decorated hoardings, painted streets, window treatments on vacant property, wall murals and installations."

4 comments:

dearieme said...

Brilliant! The "impact of Covid" was precious little The impact came from government panic, hysteria, and stupidity. They, in turn, came - I assume - as a response to opinion polls and focus groups as well as to such people as the Astrologer Royal.

" ... and decline in retail": that's just changing times. There's probably little government - at any level - can usefully do except get out of the bloody way.

Peter MacFarlane said...

A closed music shop, defaced by childish daubings, next door to a tattoo parlour.

How very 21st century Britain!

Doonhamer said...

All the common graffiti artists will be a bit peeved that they missed out on the Vibrancy Fund*.
However now is their chance to "improve" the diversity both on this sad building and others in the nieghbourhood. The broken window theory.
* Fund / funding - Term used by governments, local authorities, and other organisations when spending other people's forcibly acquired money. It beguiles the public, the true donor / mug into thinking that this dosh comes from the magic money tree, and not their pocket.
Does anyone's children ask for funding so they can have a night out on the randan?

A K Haart said...

dearieme - there was certainly nothing they could do about Foulds music shop. It was where my parents bought their piano, but those days are gone.

Peter - I see it as childish daubing too. A sign of decline.

Doonhamer - many people do seem to believe the broken window theory. Drop litter to create a job for street cleaners - that kind of thing.