Interviews In the Park

I was commissioned by Carlisle City Council to improve the look of the toilets in Bitts Park. The Toilets although situated in front of a children's playground, are notorious and inconsistent with their surroundings.

I spent time photographing parts of Carlisle and Cumbria that I found inspiring, considering the wildlife and countryside. Although Carlisle has a colourful history I did not want to repeat some of the subject matter already used in other murals around the city. My practise is based on the investigation of the printmaking process, which I used in this piece via digital and screen-printing techniques.

The Art Work

I developed the design for the exterior of the toilet building to reflect the park, whilst trying to maintain a functional pictorial aspect to the building.

The different birds on the entrance portals are suggestive to the gender prerequisite and compulsory to this construction. From the response I received it was noticed and created a humorous reaction.

The weather in Carlisle continued to hold out and I managed to work with no hold ups. The response from the public has been fantastic and the building is being transformed.

I have had a few days of bad weather - but there is always preparation to be sorted. I have had stencils to cut and blogs to update!

Preparation and Design

The preparation for this project began with photographs taken from locations within the Carlisle and Cumbrian district. I love the wide variety of birds and wildlife that exist within this area and wanted to incorporate this within this project. I gathered my material and manipulated my images on the computer - scaling them to fit on to the building. All my drawings for the art work was printed by:

Albany Sign Display limited

Unit 7 Long Island Park

Carlisle Ca2 5AS

My first day started with much enthusiasm only to come back the next day to discover all my hard work had been washed off by the torrential rain storm that hit as soon as I stopped working. I realised this work was going to have to be completed with care dependant on the varied weather conditions in sunny Carlisle.

The following two weeks were however glorious summer days and allowed for much progress on this project.

The New Beginnings

In order for the new 'look' of the toilets in Bitts park to begin Carlisle City Council made a more pleasant and hygienic interior creating facilities for children and families to use. The outside of the building was also painted white - for me to begin the design work on the exterior of the building. Progress was being made.

Before and after - interior

Intention

To adorn this drab building by visually reflecting the nature of the park with images that echo the surroundings and characteristics of this public space.

I produced several designs considering the traditional stone work that is a feature of Carlisle, as well as the history and turmoil that this has given this place it's unique charm.

There are a number of other murals around the city which I specifically did not want to imitate - many of these describe the distinctive past of Carlisle. I wanted to create a design that sat within the space rather than stood out.

After some research and discussion I submitted some virtual ideas to Carlisle City Council that were given the go ahead. The Council were very encouraging and apart from a few suggestions here and there, they gave me control over the artwork.

Inspiration

On first encountering this toilet building I was a little shocked, considering the surroundings it had very little going for it.

I spent time considering it's necessity and the people who use it, as well as the very prominent position.

Bitts Park toilets also has had a very bad reputation in the past - to change all this was going to require a lot of thought!

Some images of it's condition and the beautiful surroundings will give an indication of the task at hand.

Bitts Park Toilets

A Good 'Bitt' Of Fun In Lovely Surroundings (Bitts Park (Carlisle))

‘..There's enough to keep the children entertained for hours, leaving you free to read a book or just enjoy some peace. The downside however to this park is that it does get quite busy in the summer, and while there are a few picnic benches and seats dotted around there aren't many and I usually find myself sitting on the grass, so a towel to sit on is a good idea too. There are toilets just outside the play area, but I have to warn, they are grotty and there is never any toilet roll!’ – Rhiana