Latest news with #Robottom
BBC News
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Bizarre' Leamington Spa mural unveiled from children's designs
A new 70m (77yd) long mural designed by children and depicting animals doing human activities has been unveiled in piece in Strathearn Gardens, Leamington Spa, is called Hope for Humanity and was designed and curated by local street artist Tim Robottom with support from lead artist Gordon mural joins more than 20 pieces in the Leamington Mural Festival, a year-long community street art trail."I worked with year five and six at Milverton Primary School to generate some ideas and concepts and kick off the creative process," said Mr Robottom. "It's pretty bizarre but there is a narrative behind it."[I was] getting them to come up with drawings of animals paired with human activities to try and emphasise how bizarre some of the things we do are, particularly to the environment." Mr Robottom said the mural could be followed as a kind of story, reading from right to left."It starts with a squirrel with a chainsaw cutting down a forest to make way for a building site, which is depicted with some boarding around some blocks of flats that are being constructed," he said."There are two pigeons looking at a hole, they're wearing high-vis vests and hard hats and there's also a slug to emphasise the slow nature of the construction industry."Following on from that, other animals include a tortoise driving a truck, a toad security guard and a "big fat cat". The mural was part-sponsored by Warwickshire county and district councils as well as not-for-profit group Art Friends Robottom said the mural also aimed to show the inequalities in society."We're seeing more and more in the news about how multi-millionaires are embarking on these crazy projects while people are living on the streets and going to food banks," he added."I was absolutely amazed at how clued up the children are aged nine, 10 and know a lot about what's going on in the world."I encouraged them to inspire me." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Murals painted at Kenilworth park to attract more people
Two murals have been painted at a Kenilworth play area to attract more people to the paintings of a cat and mouse are on bricked-up arches at Glendale Avenue pocket park and were done by Brink Contemporary Arts, a Midlands-based street art District Council has also installed new play equipment including sensory boards, swings and climbing Robottom, curator and designer at Brink, said the murals were inspired by elements of his childhood. "Growing up in Kenilworth we knew all of the parks and fields where we could explore, play and climb trees," he said."I didn't watch much television but I always loved the cartoons like Tom & Jerry and Scooby Doo."I preferred to be outside playing hide and seek with friends, netting sticklebacks in the brook or collecting conkers." Mr Robottom said he used to go to the park when he was young and was "grateful for the chance to expand on our public art in Kenilworth"."With more projects in the pipeline, our intention is to create a map so residents and visitors can discover these hidden gems for themselves," he Richardson, a green space development officer at the council, said the murals added "another dimension" to the park and were a "talking point".He added: "Hopefully it will attract more people to use the green space and [get] some fresh air and exercise, which are both beneficial for physical and mental health." Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
