A STREET art trail focusing on the importance of mental health has been launched in Worcester’s main shopping centre.
Talking Portraits, “an honest conversation about mental health” is an interactive trail of graffiti artwork around Crowngate shopping centre.
The art aims to spread positivity whilst removing the stigma around mental health and highlighting the support available. The campaign is designed to bring a little bit of brightness to Worcester.
The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust and Onside Advocacy have spoken to eight local people who have experienced living with mental health difficulties.
The trust and Onside support people in the community struggling with their mental health by offering services that people can utilise to support their mental health.
Picture: Barry J Thompson
The eight local people have spoken out about their experiences, which has then been translated into the artwork by members of Global Street Art and painted as murals around the centre on vacant units.
The trail forms an uplifting story about resilience and standing firm, with people sharing their experiences of suffering with grief, illness and postnatal depression.
Picture: Barry J Thompson
The stories share the different approaches people have taken for dealing with their mental health.
Each window shows a colourful and vibrant portrait of the interviewee in graffiti, with a short description and key information on where people can find support.
The interactive QR code attached to each artwork links to the online map of the trail, where the viewer can find out more about the person in the painting.
Centre manager Mike Lloyd said: “We couldn’t be more excited to bring this fantastic campaign to Crowngate and Worcester; it’s essential to do whatever we can to remove the stigma around mental health and hopefully this project will help to open important conversations for people.”
To find out more about the project, visit crowngate-worcester.co.uk/talking-portraits/
More information about #TalkingPortraits can be found on socla media at Facebook: @crowngateshopping, Instagram: @crowngateworc and Twitter: @CrownGateWorc
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