Student’s artwork brings ‘ray of sunshine’ to Ely underpass

John Devine/BBC Colourful mural at the entrance to an underpass, a smiling woman has her eyes closed and appears to be in full sunshine on the left.

A collaborative art installation has brought a welcome “splash of colour” to an otherwise dull, grey, concrete underpass, according to local residents.

The pedestrian and cycleway runs beneath the busy A10 at Ely Leisure Village, between Ely and Littleport in Cambridgeshire.

The large mural has attracted praise, with one saying “it brings a little ray of sunshine” to an otherwise utilitarian space.

The works were created by students from Ely College, as part of an after-school graffiti project with Cambridge street art company Splash and Dash Creations Ltd.

City of Ely Council The back views of four teenagers, all with long hair, working on an artwork on a large board in a field, while standing on a blue plastic dustsheet

The pupils, from Years 8 to 10, were asked to develop their own original ideas, with the best elements combined into a finished design.

Work began in April and it was completed by July, with installation taking place at the weekend.

Resident Bavna, who did not wish to give her surname, said the mural “brightened up the place” and was “just like a small ray of sunshine in Ely”.

John Devine/BBC Steve Kendall, 64, a man with black short hair, sunglasses and ear pods standing in front of the colourful underpass beneath the A10 in Ely. The pathway is red tarmac on one side for cycles and grey the other, for pedestrians. A painting of a dark haired smiling lady can be seen over the mans left shoulder

Ely resident Steve Kendall, 64, walks his dog in the park near the subway every day.

“The art work is spectacular, it really brightens up the area which would otherwise just be grey concrete,” he said.

“It is so nice that different groups have come together to do this – my favourite is the smiling lady, just brilliant.”

John Devine/BBC Samantha Johnson is 31, she has blond shoulder length hair, swept back with a black hair band. She is wearing dark rimmed glasses and has the strap of a bag across her shoulder and is wearing a black top

Samantha Johnson was also enthusiastic about the transformation.

“It looks so much better than it did, the image of a smiling lady is infectious, it really lifts my day and makes me smile,” said the 31-year-old, who lives five minutes from the underpass.

John Devine/BBC A colourful mural on the end of an underpass, showing a smiling woman on the right with her face raised, Gateway written above its entry in green letters and figures silhouetted in black against pink letters on the right, beneath the A10 with a car midway across the bridge

The project was called The Gateway and students told the college they enjoyed its collaborative nature.

One said: “I first started Graffiti Club because I had just been to Birmingham where there were loads of cool graffiti murals and I thought it would be really cool to help make something like that in Ely.”

Others said they liked learning about the origins of spray painting and “new techniques like blending, fading, filling”.

John Devine/BBC Dave Farrington, 41wears a brown/grey beard and moustache with light framed glasses, a black jacket over a white T-shirt. He is standing in front of part of the mural featuring the smiling woman's lower face.

John Devine/BBC A grey concrete underpass at the Ely leisure village that goes beneath the A10 between Ely and Littleport. It is about 4-meters wide and 6-metres long and has red tarmac one side for cycles and grey the other for pedestrians. It has lights on the inside walls and art work can be seen on the walls of the subway.

Dave Farrington, 41, from Ely, described the work as an “art installation on my doorstep”, but said he hoped the “dull, grey concrete” on the other side would be tackled next.

Project partners included City Of Ely Council, East Cambs Community Safety Partnership, and the district council and county councils.

It was funded by City of Ely Council and its community infrastructure levy committee.

City of Ely Council The back view of three teenagers and a man wearing a mayoral chain over his grey suit and a woman with grey hair looking at part of the finished mural

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