Children at Play is a mural at the rear of the Brixton Academy on Stockwell Park Walk in Brixton.[1] Children at Play was commissioned by Lambeth Council in the wake of the 1981 Brixton riot, it was painted between 1981 and 1982 by Stephen Pusey.[1] The mural is intended to display 'racial harmony between Lambeth's schoolchildren'.[1] Pusey and a council employee searched the area before finding the site, which was then the disused Astoria cinema.[2] The mural is highly visible to residents of the Stockwell Park Estate, who were consulted as to the final design for the mural.[2] The initial designs for the mural reflected the tensions and struggles of the people of Brixton, but these were subsequently perceived as an unwanted negative perception of the area.[2] The final image was chosen to reflect harmony between the different races of the area.[2]

The mural has been nicknamed the 'Zombie Children' by local people.[1] The creation of the mural was funded by the Inner City Partnership Fund, Commission for Racial Equality, Greater London Arts, Marks & Spencer, Rank Leisure Services, and Shell International limited.[1] A plaque underneath the mural commemorates the donors.[2] The mural cost £23,000 (equivalent to £86,353 in 2021).[2] It was unveiled in November 1982 by the Mayor of Lambeth, Hugh Chambers.[2]

The mural is 32 meters by 9 meters in size and was painted with Keim Silicate paint, with an expected 100-year lifespan. It was restored in 2011 by artist Paul Butler and Triton Building Conservation with the assistance of the London Mural Preservation Society.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mural, Stockwell Park Walk, Brixton". London Borough of Lambeth. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Children at Play". London Mural Preservation Society. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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