OT Art Trail

The trail, masterminded by OT Creative Space and funded by Arts Council England, has seen local artists work with the community to create six individual large scale murals. Their designs have been painted onto walls and buildings around the area, including in Seymour Park and on Ayres Road.

Botanical Garden on Henrietta Street is a mural by Northern Quarter favourite Qubek (Russ Meehan). It remembers the 19th century Manchester Botanic Gardens that once thrived on land that is now the White City retail park. The birds and butterflies represent the people of Old Trafford.

The glorious Gladys - Earth Child (Gladys Street) by Jamie Rennie was adapted from drawings by local children. It uses motifs from other elements of the community response to form the dramatic strawberries and hearts design that sits behind her.

On Stamford Street, Donna Michelle Griffith and Lynda Sterling have combined traditional painting techniques with more contemporary street art styles to create the Tree of Life, whilst Martene Rouke’s Voices of The World on my Doorstep (Cross Street) presents a jigsaw-like image out of bold colours showing the community connecting with each other. It features the words “Hello, how are you?” in a number of community languages.

OT is Jam Packed with Love (Sam Owen Hull) on Blackburn Street represents a number of ideas generated by community consultation, including rainbows, jam, marmalade, bees, blossom and nature. Strawberries are a recurrent theme throughout the artworks, a reference to the strawberry fields that used to cover Old Trafford and to the old Duerrs’ jam factory on Prestage Street, which was demolished in 2010.

With five murals painted directly onto local residents’ houses and a convenience store, the sixth, Together We Are One by Robert Lomas and Becki Miller, resides on a wall in Seymour Park. The mural design features bold colourful letters that form the word ‘Together’. Each letter design is unique and connected to each other to celebrate the diverse communities that live in Old Trafford.

A piece of spoken word by Old Trafford-born artist Isaiah Hull connects the six murals and can be heard on the trail’s website.

Lynda Sterling, trail coordinator, said: “After what has been a very difficult time for everyone, the OT Art Trail has enthused, engaged and brought together people in a way that has exceeded all of our expectations.

“The artists, working closely with the local community despite successive lockdowns, have produced six highly individualistic pieces of work that the whole community can feel proud of.

“We feel confident that the art trail will bring pleasure and be a talking point for many years to come.”

You can see the trail map online at: otcreativespace.co.uk

Visitors to the new OT Art Trail, which launched in Old Trafford on Saturday 15 May, are invited to wonder at the 30ft high tree of life, marvel at beautiful technicolour earth child Gladys, and take in a cornucopia of birds, bees, rainbows and strawberries.

The OT Art Trail Artworks:

TREE OF LIFE

LOCATION: Stamford Street/Norton Street ARTISTS: Donna Michelle Griffith and Lynda Sterling

Donna Michelle Griffith and Lynda Sterling have combined traditional painting techniques with more contemporary street art styles to create a ‘tree of life - heart of the community’. It represents Stamford Street resident Rebecca whose house hosts the mural, her family and the wider community roots in Old Trafford. The mural explores the idea of people from different backgrounds and faiths coming together to blossom and celebrate each individual’s uniqueness.

VOICES OF THE WORLD ON MY DOORSTEP

LOCATION: Cross Street (between Stamford Street and Shrewsbury Street) ARTIST: Martene Rouke

Both a graffiti artist and architectural photographer, Marten’s work is greatly influenced by the shapes and forms used in graffiti lettering in addition to the urban environment she documents with her camera. In this mural, Martene creates a jigsaw-like image out of bold colours showing the community connecting with each other. It features the words “Hello, how are you?” in a number of community languages.

OT IS JAM PACKED WITH LOVE

LOCATION: Blackburn Street/Henrietta Street ARTIST: Sam Owen Hull

In Sam Owen Hull’s mural, she represents ideas presented by the community in abstract form; rainbows, jam and marmalade, bees, blossom and nature, alongside urban landscape seen in the black and white lines. The title of the work was influenced by local residents’ memories of the Duerr’s jam factory. The eagle-eyed will spot within the mural a tribute to a small piece of graffiti it has covered over, which read ‘Cyclops was right’. www.lancmag.com

BOTANICAL GARDEN

LOCATION: Henrietta Street/Park Ave ARTIST: Russell Meehan AKA Qubek

Qubek is a street artist and muralist whose work can be seen across Manchester’s Northern Quarter and further afield. In this mural, he has been inspired by community responses to the history of Old Trafford and the strawberry fields that were once here. The work references the 19th century Manchester Botanic Gardens that thrived on land that is now the White City retail park. The birds and butterflies represent the people of Old Trafford.

TOGETHER WE ARE ONE

LOCATION: Seymour Park ARTISTS: Robert Lomas and Becki Miller

Informed by community feedback, Roberts and Becki’s mural design features bold colourful letters that form the word ‘Together’. Each letter design is unique and connected to each other to celebrate the diverse communities that live in Old Trafford. Visual themes that run through the piece are rainbows, clouds and a strawberry, relating to Old Trafford’s previous history as an area strawberry fields.

GLADYS - EARTH CHILD

LOCATION: Ayres Road/ Gladys Street ARTIST: Jamie Rennie

Jamie adapted local children’s drawings to create magnificent earth goddess “Gladys” and used motifs from other elements of the community response to form the strawberries and hearts design that sits behind her. His mural also showcases the architectural heritage of Old Trafford.