New climate-inspired public mural set to be unveiled at FUTURES Festival of Discovery
A vibrant new piece of street art inspired by positive climate change action is to be formally unveiled in Exeter city centre this week.
The mural, located at New Buildings, close to the City Library, has been created by Exmouth-based artist Gary ‘GARf’ Cook following a commission by Art Work Exeter and the University of Exeter to create a visual representation of a positive and sustainable future for the city.
Chosen by a public vote, and aligned with the city’s new Public Art Strategy, the mural depicts a young girl holding a butterfly and looking towards a sunlit horizon filled with images of clean, green technologies.
It will be celebrated at a special event on Saturday 28 September as part of the FUTURES Festival of Discovery. Artist GARf and members of the project team will discuss how the mural was created, as well as some of the themes and activities behind it.
“We are delighted to be able to deliver the first public artwork in association with the city’s new Public Art Strategy,” said Stuart Crewes, Creative Director of Art Work Exeter. “The development of the new mural over recent weeks has been great to witness, and has attracted plenty of positive conversations with local businesses and members of the public. The response has been positive, with people saying that it brightens up an overlooked corner in the heart of the city. The representation of city landmarks of the present shows a place that is future-facing, positive and dare I say, hopeful.”
Funded by the Knowledge E Foundation, the commission was launched in July 2023 to create a lasting legacy for the University Green Futures’ We Still Have a Chance project.
We Still Have a Chance assembled more than 150 climate scientists, health professionals, storytellers, artists, translators, and youth leaders from Exeter and Egypt in virtual creative writing workshops to co-create a unique collection of 12 short stories. These were then translated into Arabic and published in a bilingual anthology, as well as recorded by narrators and released online daily during COP27. The project also inspired several accompanying creative outputs, including a mural in Alexandria, two theatre performances, workshops, and a digital visualisation.
In response to the commission, 28 entries were submitted by artists and reviewed by a panel of stakeholders from local business, government, and arts and culture professionals. A shortlist of five was then put forward to a public vote as part of the British Science Festival, before GARf was declared the winner.
Work to prepare the site – which was previously home to a mural by Andrew Alleway – took place in spring, with GARf completing his 7m-by-2.5m mural in the summer.
“In the last two years I have painted many murals on the streets of Exmouth and enjoy being in the public domain,” said GARf. “Exeter is obviously a busier location and some days it felt like I did more talking than painting. All kinds of people stopped. Some just looked and took pictures. Some asked questions and some actually thanked me, but a real treat was when people walked around the corner and uttered a genuine exclamation of joy.
“Good street art should lift the soul, better still if it promotes discussion, debate and even a change in beliefs and behaviours.”
The mural will be launched at 2pm at Exeter Library, as part of the FUTURES Festival of Discovery, with discussions about the mural and a creative exercise led by the University team. This year’s Festival offers a programme of free drop-in and ticketed public events across the weekend in Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol and Bath, hosted by their respective universities, to showcase and celebrate science, culture and research.
Professor Ian Fussell, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education in the University of Exeter Medical School, and Planetary Health Lead for the project, said: “Through storytelling, we have been engaging thousands of people with climate research in a way that fuses facts and feelings. The narratives at the heart of this work, over the past three years, have inspired complementary artistic expressions, including music, drama and art. So, we are thrilled that this legacy is now evident here in our city, thanks to GARF’s vibrant work and the many of people who helped to realise this commission.”
Kamran Kardan, CEO and Founder of the Knowledge E Foundation and the company Knowledge E, added: “Climate change represents one of humankind’s most profound challenges, but it is important that we communicate that challenge through different channels and media. The arts will have a key role in this regard, so we are proud to support this legacy project with the University and Art Work Exeter, and hope that it will resonate with the public and inspire change for years to come.”
