Ipswich street art emerges ahead of four-week festival

New street art and murals have been painted across a town as part of a festival due to start at the weekend.

The four-week Wild Walls Festival will begin in Ipswich on Saturday but various artworks have already gone on display.

A large ladybird can be seen on the back of Ashtons Legal’s building on Portman Road, while other shops have been painted with colourful displays.

One of the region’s largest ever murals – measuring 576 sq m (6,200 sq ft) – will be unveiled at the start of the festival at Ipswich waterfront.

Several artists have already visited the town to create their street art.

Ashtons Legal’s mural was painted by artist Woskerski.

He explained he wanted to make people smile but also to “make them stop and try to interpret the art in their own way”.

“A cute ladybird makes people smile, and when you look closer, you realise some of its spots are missing,” he said.

“Instead, you have members of the community make their own mark on the ladybird’s shell, which can also be seen as them making a difference.”

Several others works have already appeared including on Great Colman Street opposite the Slog & Hustle, on the Viking Aquatics building exterior on St Margaret’s Street and at Music World on Queen Street.

Another large scale mural has appeared at the back of The Hold – which houses the county’s archives – near the Waterfront by Nathan Murdoch, who has created several murals in his native Peterborough.

He said his design was influenced by the archive’s “important work”.

“The mural shows a hand which is holding a portal – this suggests the ability to time travel,” he explained.

“There is also a book with origami butterflies, made with folded archive records, flying out of the pages.”

He added that the round portal was a seafaring reference due to The Hold’s location close to the docks and to Ipswich’s maritime history.

Groups of young people helped co-design four of the large scale murals this summer.

More artworks are planned to emerge throughout the event.

A mural, that will potentially be the largest in the East of England, is due to be unveiled at the start of the festival.

As well as the new street art and a trail you can follow to view all the works, there will be a free urban art workshop with graffiti artists, an art market, a virtual reality graffiti art exhibition and a closing party at The Baths on Civic Drive on 5 October.

Anyone wanting to travel on Ipswich Buses to attend the event will be reimbursed in cash on arrival by simply talking with a festival team member.

The event is the first of its kind in Ipswich created by Art Eat Events CIC and the Subversiv Collective.