‘The city’s culture should be celebrated at times like this’
A mural celebrating the BRITs has been installed on Ducie Street(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
A collective of artists in Manchester have said they intend on painting over a BRIT Awards mural which was created to celebrate the significant event taking place in the city for the first time.
Last week, a new mural on Ducie Street was unveiled recognising the many artists who have been nominated at this year’s ceremony, which will take place at Co-op Live on February 28. However, the artwork – which was created by Manchester artist Hammo – caused controversy as it had been painted over an original piece created alongside homeless artists some years ago.
The Doodle, on the stretch near Piccadilly Station, has been in place since 2018. Depicting a man ‘flying through the air from challenges in his life to a brighter future’, it was put together by American artist Joel Bergner and around 40 local artists who were, or had been, homeless at the time.
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Street artist Bergner questioned last week why the new creation had been chosen to replace the original without consultation with the community. He said: “I understand that public art doesn’t last forever, but this has destroyed something that can never be recreated. There are so many walls in Manchester – why choose this one?”
Amanda Thompson, who is the co-founder of rough sleeping charity Two Brews, also spoke about the decision and described it as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘sad’. She said it felt like ‘part of our city has been replaced for part of an event’. In a statement issued last week, a BRITs spokesperson said they had followed ‘due diligence throughout’ to ensure all appropriate owners were consulted and permissions were granted before the artwork was installed.
Liam Heeley, who fronts Manchester-based creative agency HEADS, has now said he wants permission to paint the mural black once the BRITs have taken place to ‘provide a fresh canvas for the street’ and to ensure it isn’t vandalised. He said that if his plans can go ahead then he hopes the city’s homeless community will want to contribute to the wall again.
Heeley has sought formal approval from developers Bruntwood SciTech, who own the stretch of the land the Ducie Street mural is situated on, in order to ensure the transition is handled properly. In an email to the developer and shared with the M.E.N, Heeley said he wants to ‘cover the existing mural with a high-quality, solid black finish’, which will be ‘clean, intentional, and reflective of the community’s standards’. The developer said it is prepared to welcome proposals for the walls future once the trail has concluded.
Speaking to the M.E.N, Heeley said: “I was pretty frustrated when I saw that the Doodle had been painted over, and I’ve received so many messages from people who have also been upset about it. I’ve been speaking to a number of people in the city, as well as the original artist, about what we can do about it and I think the best idea is to recreate the mural in our own way as a city.
“It does feel a little bit like Manchester has been treated as a trend, but the city’s culture should be celebrated at times like this. There is a big opportunity now to take back some of what was lost, and I’m trying to get the support of as many people behind the scenes to try and make it a reality.”
In a statement issued to the M.E.N, a spokesperson for Bruntwood SciTech said: “Following the end of the BRITs art trail on 16th March, we are happy to welcome proposals from community groups for repurposing the wall and will consider any submissions we receive.”
Alongside the mural, the BRITs Art Trail features work from 21 North West artists spanning across exhibitions, immersive window installations, billboards, and an open-air gallery at Piccadilly Station. As part of the build-up to the main event next Saturday, there will also be a host of intimate performances from big names, including Olivia Dean and Robbie Williams, in the city throughout next week.