Written by Clare Lynch-Watson.
Clare is a Content and Programme Researcher at Novel Entertainment (and Horrid Henry’s online alter ego!)
Street art is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Oxford, a city famous for its ancient university colleges and medieval churches. So it was a pleasant surprise when I moved here in 2018 and soon discovered evidence of a vibrant street art scene. The ever-evolving murals and hoardings created by local street artists provide a refreshing sense of modernity and liveliness in Oxford. The beauty of these works lies in their transience rather than their air of thousand-year permanence. They are fleeting, to be observed and enjoyed in the moment, and often address current themes, relevant to the communities in which they pop up. Just as significantly, street art also represents the reclamation of public space for public use, a statement that is particularly resonant in a city such as Oxford.
The streets of the east Oxford suburb of Cowley are host to a number of bright and colourful murals, many of which are dedicated to reflecting and celebrating the area’s diverse local community. In partnership with the Arts Council and Oxford City Council, groups such as the Cowley Road Works, an east Oxford based charity that promotes engagement and inclusivity by fostering ‘exposure to excellence in arts and culture’, have produced a number of excellent murals to honour cultural events in the community.
Andrew ‘Mani’ Manson, one of Oxford’s most prominent and prolific street artists, has played a key role in many of these projects, which include murals in celebration of the annual Cowley Road Carnival in July and the 10th birthday of Oxford’s 20-piece community band, Horns of Plenty.
Oxford’s largest mural is just off the Cowley Road on Moberly Close and puts a playful spin on one of Oxford’s most iconic landmarks. The 30-foot-tall painting is a technicolour
The Horns of Plenty mural painted by Andrew Manson in 2017, located on the corner of Stockmore Street in Cowley. Photo taken by Issatu Doore.
The Radcliffe Camera mural, painted in 2017 by Reves One in collaboration with the Oxford Street Art Project. Photo taken by Issatu Doore.
Since 2016, Oxford City Council has embraced the social and cultural value of street art by creating a number of ‘free walls’. These provide space for people to freely express themselves and have been successful on two fronts, both visually enhancing certain areas of Oxford and creating a bridge between street artists, the council and the community.
Free walls can be found in Cowley, Meadow Lane skatepark, Oxford’s South Park, the Barton underpass and by the Canal and River Trust. Public consultations with local residents directly involve them in the process of producing the artwork and encourage them to contribute their own views on what it should look like.
A mural being painted in March 2022 on a free wall in the underpass of the Kennington roundabout. Photos taken by Issatu Doore.
portrait of the Radcliffe Camera, with the library floating against a moody purple sky on bronze mechanical cogs.
Although Oxford City Council now plays a proactive role in the commissioning of street art projects, the artform was not always so respected or understood. For some time, a skatepark in Iffley ran by the Free Wheels Project, a charity providing skating and BMX facilities for young people, was the only legal graffiti space in Oxford, cementing a link between skating culture and street art in Oxford.
Since then, local street artists such as Mani and Kleiner Shames have worked hard to rehabilitate graffiti art in Oxford. Operating from the West Oxford Community Centre, Mani has worked with other artists in the area to promote street art and emphasise its positive impact in the community. The movement aims to secure more local commissions and has facilitated the installation of new murals throughout Oxford.
As a means of visually enhancing communal spaces, fostering community spirit and spreading socially-conscious ideas, the Covid-19 pandemic imbued street art with an even greater social significance. Street art became a valuable communication tool as lockdown began and new health advice was rolled out.
Mural by Luke Embden on George Street.
Mural by Bryony Benge-Abbot in Manzil Way Gardens.
Mural: Lisa Curtis, Eleanor Greenhalgh, Sam Skinner on the Cowley Road. Photo: Fusion Arts.
In August 2020, local community arts group Fusion Arts worked with the City Council and local artists to create the Stay Safe Murals Project. Reflecting a core mission to initiate ‘creative projects that inspire communities, support artists and promote social justice’, three murals were installed in Oxford city centre and along the Cowley Road to celebrate the people of Oxford and spread an all-important message: stay safe and look after each other. Artist Luke Embden was chosen to produce the mural on the boarding covering 1 – 3 George Street. The bold, colourful mural brings vibrancy to the disused units and reiterates the stay safe message.
During a difficult and isolating time for so many, these murals stood as public displays of solidarity in Oxford. The stated aim of The Bullingdon artists was to highlight the ‘importance of care and looking out for each other…The community itself must be our protection…We all ultimately rely on one another.’ As we enter the post-pandemic world and face all of the problems that come with it, these ideas remain as crucial and relevant as ever.