Forgetting Statues, Remembering Through Murals: The Future of Commemoration in Leeds

Murals are bold, colourful, and always have a message. They 'engage the community and have been turning empty city walls into huge public canvases,' as they express artistic values, political motives and commemorate individuals (Parolek, 2014). Murals are increasingly being used as a form of commemoration because they are a cheaper alternative to statues, as the materials used are paints, not marble or bronze.

Historian Lindsay Bates holds mural artists to a higher standard than graffiti artists. She believes they are 'artists with notable talents… and they have started to become more prominent outside of the graffiti world.' (Bates, p.3, 2014) This highlights how murals in the United Kingdom are now considered an art form. Murals began in the United Kingdom, in the 1980s, being brought from the United States, and since then, the proliferation of murals or street art have gained wild popularity (Bates, p.3, 2014).

Paving the Way

This specific type of art form has a strong effect on the city of Leeds, as murals have now become the preferred choice for commemoration. Located in The Calls, in November of 2020, 'Paving the Way' was unveiled by the Premier League football club Leeds United to celebrate their new partnership with 'Roc Nation', an entertainment agency owned by Jay-Z.' (Yorkshire Evening Post, 2020). The mural depicting Kalvin Phillips, Lucas Radebe and Albert Johanneson has a poignant message as 'the design proudly honours the diverse heritage of the club' as the individuals depicted are ethnic minorities and Leeds United’s best players (Urquhart, 2020). Johanneson was 'the first high profile Black player to represent Leeds United and the first player of African heritage to play in an FA Cup final in 1965.' (Leeds United Football Club, 2020). Therefore, Johanneson and Radebe ‘paved the way’ for younger players, such as Kalvin Phillips, to follow in their footsteps, and Phillips continues this legacy for future players.

Rob Burrow

When investigating the suitability of mural artwork expanding into depicting historical and political figures, the Rob Burrow mural was an obvious point of reference. The mural on the side of the Leeds Beckett University Student Union building was painted in December 2020 by Akse P-19.

Burrow, from nearby Pontefract, spent his entire career as a shining star of the ‘Golden Generation’ at Leeds Rhinos and retired in 2017, with every domestic honour in the game, after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). At first glance, the mural can be placed among the ever-growing list of street art depicting local sporting heroes. Since his diagnosis and the timing of the mural's completion, Burrow has embarked on many charitable schemes for MND charities and research – mostly recently, he is aiming to raise £5 million for a new MND unit for Leeds General Infirmary. Therefore, we felt that the mural paid tribute to his philanthropy rather than his sporting achievements.

Faces of Leeds

From here, it became clearer that the murals could be presented as legitimate forms of civic expression and be adapted to depict historical and political figures. Therefore, due to his philanthropic efforts, the Burrow mural continues the Victorian tradition of commemorating charitable figures in Leeds and is a modern successor to the Victorian era statue of Henry Marsden. It was clear that this idea of 'cultural lineage' from Victorian-era statues to modern-day murals was key in expressing an argument that mural artwork was a legitimate art form and had the potential to expand into depictions of political and historical figures.

One of the main challenges with 'selling' the idea of having murals broaden their focus is presenting them as legitimate art forms. To many, 'graffiti is synonymous with vandalism' (Bates, 2014, p1) which can explain why mural artwork has mostly been restricted to sporting world depictions. By expanding its scope, mural artwork is unlikely to convey the same level of 'reverence' that a statue can. For example, the bright colours and sharp lines in the Warrington mural herald his victory in the ring by highlighting the red and gold of his newly won IBF welterweight belt. Similarly, Rob Burrow has been painted 'in the moment', a common feature of sports artwork that indicates his sporting prowess. Although these features are very much part of the sports murals, they are unlikely to work well for political and historical figures in which public sentiment is likely to be great. We only have to look at the statue controversies of the summer of 2020 as evidence of the emotions surrounding the commemorations of political and historical figures, and to know that they can be a highly sensitive matter.

Public art reflects society's attitudes and appeals by including representations of gender, race, sexuality, and other diverse groupings to 'facilitate and encourage an ongoing, open-ended conversation about appropriately political and/or civic concerns' (Fisher, 1996, p.50). These murals have a symbolic value and provide a space where we can identify and connect to those represented.

Affix's 'Faces of Leeds' contribute to an evolving diversification of cultural space. The mural, commissioned by Leeds Canal Trust in 2020 as part of the city's Waterfront Enhancement project, celebrates the cultural achievers of Leeds. The narrative explored in this mural is of the importance of Leeds as a contributor to different realms of entertainment, philanthropy and sport, and by introducing a more varied category of individuals, shows that Leeds is more than a football community. The mural includes writer Alan Bennett, humanitarian Sue Ryder, presenter John Craven, and boxing Olympian Nicola Adams.

The inclusion of non-white individuals, women and figures associated with the LQBTQ+ community communicate these spaces provide a presence of inclusivity, security, and acceptance. For Nicola Adams, a black lesbian woman, 'The power of representation is so important to the next generation' (Adams, 2021).

Unfortunately, such depictions are also targets of homophobic, sexist, and racist abuse, as was the case for this mural. This puts murals in a fragile framework, making them vulnerable to social dissent and especially to intentional hate crime. Like statues, they too can be targeted when individuals or communities reject an individual or what they represent, leading to the removal of statues or vandalism of murals. This makes murals a temporary form of expression, but one more suited to a world in which opinions are quick to change.

(Written by: Lara Buckley, Joseph Curran, Faizah Kamal.)

References

• Bates, L (2014) Bombing, Tagging, Writing: An Analysis of the Significance of Graffiti and Street Art [Master Theses]. [Online] Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. [Accessed 4th December 2021].
• Bower, A (2017) Rob Burrow will retire from Leeds and leave a legacy for the little guy. The Guardian [Online], 19th July. [Accessed 17th November 2021]
• Fisher, D.H (1996) 'Public Art and Public Space'. Soundings 79(1/2), pp. 41-57.
• Leeds United Football Club (2020) Leeds United X Roc Nation Strategic Partnership Announced [Online] Leeds: Leeds United Football Club. [Accessed 1st December 2021].
• Lioness; The Nicola Adams Story (2021) Directed by Helena Coan. Available from: Amazon Prime Video [Accessed 10 December 2021].
• Parolek, D (2014) The Power of Public Art: How Many Murals Beautify Cities and Build Communities Opticos, 19th November 2014 [Online] [Accessed 29th November 2021].
• Urquhart, J (2020) It is a symbol of Leeds United – Victor Orta hails new Kalvin Phillips mural after Roc Nation partnership is unveiled. Yorkshire Evening Post [Online], 22nd November. [Accessed 4th December 2021].
• Weatherby, B (2021) Ex- rugby league star fronts £5million appeal to build motor neurone disease center. Belfast Telegraph [Online] [Accessed 12th December 2021]