As a journalist, and very much a hobbyist when it comes to art, I personally love the new mural painted on Vivier Bunker.
The work by Teddy Baden might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it might not be your favoured style, but in my humble opinion, it captures the emotion and meaning of Liberation Day, and from speaking to the man himself, and the organisation that made it possible, it’s built off of so much research into our local history.
Whilst certain online experts were busy poking holes in a mural celebrating Liberation and commemorating Occupation, I was speaking to those islanders who lived through the Evacuation, Deportation and the horrors of World War 2. The stories they told me lined up with the stories I heard from the artist himself, and those at Art for Guernsey. In fact it opened up my eyes to how little some Guernsey people truly know about the occupation, and the islands Liberation.
I’d urge anyone critiquing the messaging in the mural to go and spend time at Guernsey Museums. Just like the folks who put together the piece in question did, which was just looking to do some good. Instead we’ve had a charity’s reputation dragged through the mud, just in the name of online point scoring.
A few lunchtimes ago, whilst taking a break from the busy roads of St Peter Port, I headed to quieter parts of town to enjoy my little break from local news. That’s how I ended up spending half an hour doodling by myself, in my car, whilst listening to the music Mr Baden was playing…and to the amount of conversations and compliments he was getting as he worked.
I think I saw more conversations outside Vivier Bunker in that half an hour, than I have in my 30 years on planet earth, and on planet Guernsey.
So when I found out armchair experts were criticising Art for Guernsey’s artist choice, I asked my editor if I could pen a quick response to those online, who thought it was their duty to shame the organisation for bringing over an artist, instead of hiring one locally.
In the same week as the work at the Bunker was taking place, AfG announced an open call to keen artists wanting to take on a work for a Street Art Exhibition called ‘Diversion’. I’ve already seen several artists I know linked, tagged and sharing online.
Right now we have some incredibly talented artists in Guernsey, as we have for generations, but the inaccessibility of opportunities and spaces to practice large pieces, murals, is severely lacking. It’s the reason I penned an Opinion piece on the idea of having a graffiti wall. A legal space to spray paint, and that was months and months ago.
You can read about that HERE, plus the opinions of experts in the field, people whose actual livelihoods revolve around art, is available HERE. Instead of just a hobbyist like myself, or an armchair expert, like you would find on social media forums.
All the armchair experts are doing is aggravating an organisation aiming to provide opportunity, and bringing divisive rhetoric into a conversation in which most people seem to be in agreement with.
Worst though, these ‘Social Media Warriors’ are actually ignoring publicly available information that was already online, just because they’re trying desperately to get clicks and reactions.
By bringing over an artist to create a piece that keeps in step with the themes of celebration and liberation, it elevates Guernsey’s chances of bringing forward it’s own world class talent in one of the fastest growing mediums on the planet.
It gets us a step closer to Street Art being fully embraced and welcomed, and we are seeing that, little by little.
It allows us to show those who were on the fence that public displays of art like this are beneficial to Guernsey, not just for the spirit of the island, but for the opportunities it could offer the next generation of creatives.
Do I believe there’s the talent to make large scale murals locally already? Absolutely. Too right, and the wonderful work of Ross Le Brun decorating a west coast property is proof of that.
So the question becomes “are we as a society ready to welcome street art with both arms?” Well that’s what bringing over professional mural painters allows for.
It lets those unfamiliar with the rich history of Graffiti, Street Art and large mural paintings see the incredible benefits a bit of color and vibrancy bring to a community, and it opens the door for aspiring artists at the same time.
As a hobbyist artist, I welcome talent from offshore that pushes our local artists into new spheres of influence, and into new situations to get inspiration from.
As a journalist, I rebuke the armchair experts who share posts, without taking on the information available, and look to just aggravate for the sake of online internet traffic and attention.
As a Guernseyman, I say well done Art for Guernsey. Ignore the naysayers who wish to dampen your spirits, instead listen to the majority, who welcome your work, and understand that Art is subjective, not objective.
If you’d like to hear the thoughts of someone actually in the know, Art for Guernsey’s founder, David Ummels, has also taken up the offer of an Opinion piece, which you can read HERE.
