The Creative Sessions were designed to enable the residents to express what they feel about living in Dove Street, what their neighbourhood means to them, and what is important to them, to help the mural artists understand how to represent and empower the community.
- Three creative sessions were conducted as part of this process. Around 20 people attended in total, including adults, mainly women, and children.
- During the sessions, participants were invited to respond to a set of general prompts through drawing. These included what they liked most about the area, a story about a time when the area felt kind or welcoming, and how art could improve everyday life in the community.
- After completing their drawings, participants were invited to present their work and explain the meaning of the symbols, colours and ideas included in their drawings.
- The following section provides a summary of the main themes that emerged from the sessions. We hope these insights will be helpful in informing the design of the mural and reflecting the experiences, values and identity of the community.
1. Human connection and diversity
- One of the two strongest theme was the importance of human connection among people with different backgrounds.
- Participants highlighted the diversity of the Dove Street community as one of its greatest strengths and expressed a desire for this diversity to be reflected in the murals.
Sahuja said the shapes are abstract images representing connections between people from different backgrounds and races. In the messages, she highlighted “we are a diverse community” and “this is our community”.
“Party” represents different celebrations, including Ramadan, Christmas and others. Zagnabsaid that, at these celebrations, he can see his favourite people, including not only family members but also other members of the community. He also mentioned that these occasions make him feel at home.
Maryama’s drawing focused on written
messages about the Dove Street
community, including:
- “Inspiring people who live
Diversity” - “Endangered species”
- “Peace in Dove Street”… “across the
world” - “Dove Street being with others”
- “With love”
- She also included shapes and
symbols such as two cats, a heart, a
sun with heart shapes, two people
together, and a flower.
Faram painted a blue sky over a Dove Street
building, including the phrase “love and
caring for our street”.
The drawing also portrays a person with a
speech bubble saying “we love our street”,
and another with a message saying “thank
you”, although the full phrase cannot be
read.
The drawing also includes some people
holding objects in their hands. When the
facilitator asked what these represented,
Faram said they were pieces of cardboard
with community messages on them, such
as banners.
2. Urban nature and sense of place
A second recurring theme was the connection between nature, identity and people’s cultural backgrounds. Participants identified a range of animals and natural elements that they felt
represented both the local area and their personal histories.
Together, these themes suggest that residents see Dove Street as a place shaped by both human relationships and connections with the natural world. They provide a valuable foundation for
developing mural designs that reflect the experiences, identities and aspirations of the community
A second recurring theme was the connection between nature, identity and people’s cultural backgrounds. Participants identified a range of animals and natural elements that they felt
represented both the local area and their personal histories.
Together, these themes suggest that residents see Dove Street as a place shaped by both human relationships and connections with the natural world. They provide a valuable foundation for
developing mural designs that reflect the experiences, identities and aspirations of the community
One resident shared the story of a seagull that returns each year to their home to collect food for its family and is considered by many neighbours to be a member of the community.
Flowers were also repeatedly represented in drawings and discussions, symbolising beauty, growth and nature.
Participants further highlighted the significance of henna patterns used by women in the community, seeing them as an artistic expression that connects culture, identity and the
natural forms often found in floral designs.
Rob and Javied: Notes from the general discussion
and presentations of drawings
Some new contributions:
6th and 7th June Community Festival
The Community Festival was created to celebrate the launch of the mural project, to introduce the artists to the residents, and to give more residents the opportunity to draw, write and share their ideas for the murals.
We had a pizza oven, hot drinks, and homemade cakes from the ladies of St. Matthew’s church. The artists really enjoyed meeting our community.
Residents drawing at the 6th and 7th June Community Festival
The artists meeting the residents at the Community Festival
