Graffiti
PUPILS at a southside secondary have spray-painted graffiti all over school walls — with permission from teachers.
PUPILS at a southside secondary have spray-painted graffiti all over school walls — with permission from teachers.
The art project was designed to give Bellahouston Academy students a sense of ownership and pride in the building, while teaching them the difference between positive and negative graffiti.
They decorated the exterior with images including high-rise flats, street lights, the Commonwealth Games logo, the Glasgow school of sport building which is situated at Bellahouston, the squinty bridge and faces of young people.
The words respect, hope, peace, equality and Bellahouston are also emblazoned on brickwork.
One of the nine artists Jordan McMurragh (14) said: "We did a lot of work in our spare time to come up with the design.
"There is a lot of vandalism in this area and before the mural I had never seen any positive graffiti — only the bad type."
Fellow participant Shannon King (14) added: "I designed the lettering for the word Bellahouston and came up with the idea of using pink stripes to make it stand out.
"It was quite an unusual art project but I'm really pleased with how it turned out."
Other participants were Megan Donnelly (14), Alex McQuade (15), Catrina Pollock (12), Bradley Aitken (12), Declan Hamilton (13), Glen McIntosh (16) and Jade Wilson (16).
Police constable Stewart Croll, who attended the mural's launch last Friday, commented: "There is a big difference between graffiti art and random vandalism.
"It's great these kids took it upon themselves to make their school look better. They can now take pride in the area and will want to repair any subsequent vandalism."
Headteacher Ian Anderson added: "This represents a significant improvement to the school environment. We are very grateful for the work of these excellent young people."
Artwork was led by youth workers from the religious organisation Iona Community, which has been linked with Bellahouston for more than 20 years.
The five-month project was a pilot for a larger mural, which pupils will spray on to a neighbouring motorway bridge.
IC youth worker Laura McAleese explained: "Many youngsters said they feel unsafe crossing this bridge.
"Issue-based workshops will allow pupils to express these feelings, and other matters of importance, through the medium of art."
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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