This stunning artwork has been created in secret ahead of what organisers say will be an “amazing” summer festival in York.
What was a Yorkshire Water building near to Poppleton Road School has been transformed on a riverside theme.
Brighton-based artistic duo The Postman created the remarkable artwork on a former Yorkshire Water building near Poppleton Road Primary School.
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It’s a taster of what’s to come at the first AcombFest arts festival, put on by York’s Art Of Protest Projects this July.
Founder Jeff Clark told YorkMix:”As part of AcombFest, we wanted to just provide a little bit of a taste or an excitement as we launch the programme.
AcombFest
AcombFest is York’s first creative mural festival.
It takes place between 3 and 5 July, and will feature 15 venues, five mural paintings, multiple art installations, a live paint jam and spray battles.
There will also be more than 30 bands, DJs and performers and a packed programme of creative events for all ages.
Find out more at the AcombFest website
“The programme, which is going to grow across three days, is really exciting. So, we’ve had one of our internationally celebrated artists, The Postman, a returning duo from Brighton who did the amazing project with Guardians of York with us several years ago, to work with us again.
“We took the Yorkshire Water building, and we converted it into what effectively is like a York Ouse river aquarium, showing that a healthy ecosystem can survive anywhere.
“They’ve done these beautiful pictures, which interrupt the landscape wonderfully, showing a return to nature.
“They feature an otter, brown trout and a toad. It’s an incredible picture, and what it’s going to do is stop people, engage people, hopefully excite people with a taster of the sort of artwork, which is coming their way in AcombFest.”
He said the building “felt like a nothing space” but the art “suddenly created a happening” with people stopping to talk to the artists.
“Students at the school itself took part in the engagement, which helped to shape the briefs we gave to the artists, which shaped the artwork. And they’ve been coming out in their droves, and they’ve been so excited.”
‘Incredible’ festival coming
Work is going on full speed ahead for AcombFest, Jeff said.
“There’s going to be 20 art installations across the whole lot of AcombFest on an art trail that you can go find different pieces.
“I have a feeling there’ll be quite a few more.
“There’s going to be live crafts, amazing practising artists, both local and international, making and shaping art.
“We’ve got an art jam, which is a live nine artists painting together over 48 hours, get an amazing outcome of different pieces in the Carlton Tavern garden.
“The variety of the artwork is incredible. There’s a full programme, which is going to be available to download at the end of the week.”
It will also feature many live music performances and street food and drink.
Find out more at the AcombFest website.
