People are turning city's ugly street boxes into something completely different

Wales Online

07-07-2025

People are turning city's ugly street boxes into something completely different
From astronauts to mermaids and swans, graffiti hotspots are getting a facelift
Artist Efa painting the Grangetown swans on a utility box
(Image: Jonathan Myers )
If you keep your eyes peeled, all around Cardiff you'll see utility boxes, walls or underpasses that take you somewhere different, maybe under the sea, or to space, or paying homage to some well-known city creatures. Amongst the design, you'll see a logo somewhere on it marked City Art Project.
The project is the brainchild of Sean Thomas. Four years ago, he went from his day job as one of Cardiff council's graffiti removal team to becoming a supervisor in the team. One of his roles was to come up with a pay to improve graffiti. "We were going into the same areas all the time painting the boxes and the walls," said Sean, 56.
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He got so fed up of seeing areas he'd cleared being spray painted over, he decided to do something about it. It's a completely voluntary scheme which he runs outside of work.
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Utility boxes on Merches Gardens in Grangetown which were covered in graffiti until City Art Project transformed them
(Image: Ruth Mosalski )
The resulting project sees utility boxes - those large green boxes you walk past without a second look - turned from ugly metal boxes covered in graffiti tags to pieces of street art. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
Outside Techniquest, there is one which is space themed. By Sainsbury's in Cardiff Bay, there is a mermaid. Others around the city have been painted by artists and non-artists, old or young. For those who aren't formally trained, Sean has stencils.
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The project started four years ago, when he was fed up of seeing council resources wasted removing graffiti that popped back up. He remembers being on Northcote Street in Cathays when as he was clearing a large wall, someone started tagging it while he was still cleaning.
"Resources were being used which I knew could have been used better so I just thought, 'what if I can get in touch with some artists and get permission for these areas that we're going to all the time, they can have it as an allowed space and get them involved maybe it'll deter them a little bit'."
And it's worked.
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Between the walls and utility boxes, he reckons there are about 100 places in the city which have been painted. The success of the scheme is that once they are painted, a sort of unwritten code kicks in, and they tend not to be tagged again.
Any vandalised space that we've been given permission for from the landowner, a utility company or if it's council space can be painted by an individual, schools, youth clubs, graffiti artists. Sean has approached local companies and all the paint has been donated by local companies.
The newest additions are three on Merches Gardens in Grangetown which was suggested by local residents, and overseen by Jo Hartwig at Grangetown Studios who enlisted local artists to paint the boxes.
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The three artists, Amy Hann, Efa Blosse-Mason and Tad Davies, were commissioned to paint a utility box each. They each did a workshop, respectively at Cardiff and Vale College with Level 2 art and design students; Year 2 at Ninian Park Primary School and Blwyddyn 6, Ysgol Hamadryad.
The finished utility box on Merches Gardens
(Image: Jo Hartwig )
Tad's piece takes in animals and creatures, all drawn by students at Ysgol Hamadryad in Butetown, while Efa's recognises the local swans who keep residents entertained. Local councillors Ash Lister and Lynda Thorne secured donations from Rightacres and Cardiff Rotary Club to fund the scheme.
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Sean said: "It can be done by anyone, kids or adults, individuals or groups, and so long as they've the ideas, we can provide all the paints for free."
Anyone who wants to know more can contact [e-mail] or [e-mail].