ARTIST IN RESIDENCE UNVEILS FIRST MURALS IN 'PORTRAITS OF LSA' COMMUNITY PROJECT
- Leake Street Arches
- Aug 17, 2023
- 2 min read
LSA Artist in Residence unveils first two in a series of 52 portraits to mark his residency
First is of his late father and second the CEO of LCR Property, the landlords of LSA
An important part of the reason Marc Craig was chosen as Leake Street Arches' Artist in Residence is the emphasis his submission put on the importance of including in community of Leake Street within his work.
Central to this is the creation of a series of 52 giant mural portraits of some of the people Marc meets and works with throughout the year. Whether it is our tenants, market traders from Lower Marsh, local business and charity sector leaders or journalists visiting the tunnel, Marc will be taking on the challenge of transforming them in to giant graffiti murals. Driven by his AI inspired character Max the Virus, the southern end of the tunnel is set to to transform regularly through 2023 and into 2024.
Sadly, Marc's father passed away just as he was starting the Residency and it therefore felt more than appropriate that his dad be the first of the portraits completed in the series. A total legend and an inspiration to Marc and many more.
The second completed can be found in the Link Tunnel off of the main tunnel and is that of Peter Hawthorne, CEO of LCR Property who have been responsible for the transformation of the Arches from disused storage to the vibrant destination it is today. From installing the new lighting system to supporting tenants to establish themselves to managing the day to day running of the Tunnel, LCR are incredibly proud of the work it has done to help future proof one of London's most iconic urban art galleries and creative hubs.
Of the portrait, Peter said: “It’s been fantastic having Marc onboard as Artist in Residence for
the Arches and watching his vision come to life. To be captured in Marc’s iconic style is a
real honour, and witnessing my likeness portrayed larger than life in the Arches is
undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
“The artwork in the tunnel is such an intrinsic part of Leake Street, bringing the community
together through creativity. I’m looking forward to seeing what Marc produces next.”
Stay tuned for the next in the series of portraits by following our social media accounts or signing up to or newsletter.
If you know someone who you think deserves to be part of the project because of the their involvement in or love of the tunnel, please do contact us at info@leakestreetarches.london
Will Marc Craig be involving Retro Bowl members of the public directly in the creation of any of the future portraits, perhaps through collaborative workshops or community painting days?
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Fascinating project! Marc Craig's community-driven mural series sounds incredible. It's like creating a living, breathing artistic narrative. Speaking of creativity, this reminds me of Infinite Craft is collaborative world-building - where every interaction shapes a unique story. Can't wait to see how these 52 portraits capture the spirit of Leake Street Arches!
This is such a cool project! I love how Marc is incorporating the local community into his art. It's a fantastic way to celebrate the people who make the area special, especially with the touching tribute to his father. The scale of the murals sounds impressive, and the AI influence with Max the Virus is intriguing. It reminds me a bit of the creativity and visual style you'd sometimes see playing Poptropica, but on a much grander and more meaningful scale. Congratulations to Marc and LCR Property for bringing this vision to life!
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