The saying goes that a picture paints a thousand words. Well a graffiti project at Coleg Gwent’s Pontypool Campus certainly tells a story, of wildlife, weather and all things garden related – thanks to a group of landbased students.
After swapping shovels and spades for spray cans, ten independent living skills students put their green fingers to a rather different use last week. With help from Bradley Woods of the Illustrate Project, the group turned their hand to graffiti to produce a large scale feature, originally designed by the students themselves.
The finished masterpiece encompasses all elements of their landbased course – horticulture, farming and animal care. Each member of the group designed one element of the graffiti from butterflies, frogs and rabbits, to greenery, flowers and insects.
The ‘garden graffiti’ will feature in the Pontypool Campus garden where the students have already planted vegetables and plants, adding a touch of fun, humour and character to their blooming project.
“It was great fun!” says seventeen-year-old Lewis French (pictured) from Newport who thoroughly enjoyed the project. “It was a chance to show our creative side and seeing our original designs that we did in the classroom, come to life on a large scale graffiti, was really exciting.”
Course coordinator/tutor Sherrie Copleston Harris organised the activity: “The students thoroughly enjoyed the graffiti project. It was relevant to their course as they could link in what they have been working on throughout the year to produce a display for the whole campus to benefit from.”
