Southend 2024

Southend City Jam was an amazing event in 2023, and 2024 was just as cool. Once again, artists from all over the world descended on the UK's sunniest town. Cafés and Cockney accents were everywhere, and the whole vibe was both chilled and welcoming.

In 2023, I had been given a bit of an awkward wall with an aircon unit in the middle. I decided to use this as part of the mural. And again, in 2024, I was once again allocated a mural with a large aircon unit in the middle. My previous mural was pretty successful, and using the aircon unit worked well. So, I decided to paint a newer, renewed version of my previous wall—one that included, as always, a helmet but also pitcher plants and magpie birds.

The event was really well-organised once again, and it’s always great to catch up with artists I've known for years. Unlike festivals abroad, in the UK, I knew most of the participating artists, and it was nice to meet new faces. The organisers were kind enough to prepare my wall with my chosen colour of black before my arrival, and my lift was at the wall, ready to go.

I have to admit, I was a little bit grumpy about once again being the 'aircon artist,' but I quickly got over it and did my best to carry out my task. My design featured large pitcher plants growing from under the helmet of a sci-fi-style female character. Behind her were nebula-like clouds in a retro colour scheme. The wall was more landscape-oriented for this piece, so I had to stretch out the vines for the bird to be placed on.

After finalising all the major details on the wall, I felt something was missing. I needed to use the remaining space in a way that wouldn’t distract from the central character or create too much extra work so close to completion. So, I decided to encapsulate the whole piece with a large circle painted in all the corresponding colours of the mural. It worked really well, actually, as the edge of the circle aligned directly with the bird’s eye. With the title of the piece being Forbidden Fruit, I decided to add a glowing lure to the end of the vine, which created an interesting dynamic between the bird and the carnivorous plants. Despite meticulous planning for many of my walls, some of the most creative moments come from working on the spot and under pressure !

Big thanks to the organisers and everyone involved