Brighton colour blind artist unveils mural at housing development

In a nod to Poet’s Corner and Wordsworth Street, the mural at the Sackville Road trading estate development in Hove features the second verse from the poem Daffodils and also explores the positive transformation Hove has seen over the years.

The piece, by Brighton-based artist Tom Diamantopoulo, will form part of a rolling exhibition of murals by local artists during the course of the regeneration of the estate.

Tom said: “My thinking for using these themes is that the area and local community has gone through quite a few positive transformations over the years and has gradually grown and flourished, so I wanted to reflect this in my design.”

He said that the estate had been viewed locally as run down around 15 years ago, but the hard work of local residents has transformed the area into a vibrant and happy community with creative hubs with small workshops and businesses.

The new mural at Sackville Road

Tom said that the inclusion of the second verse from Wordsworth’s poem “reflects the themes of the mural and the community”.

He said: “The verse of the poem is describing daffodils, which are a mark of spring, the time of year when nature having survived winter is now rejuvenating, blossoming and growing again.

“For me, this reflects the transformations that the local area and community has been going through in recent years.

“I like to think that this verse can also be seen to be about people, perhaps the residents within the community, who revived the area years ago or even about the local area that is thriving now.”

Tom, who works out of his studio in Brighton, was born colour blind but loves working with bold and bright colours and textures, with some of his other work also featuring on the exterior of Franco Manca in North Street.

Work is well underway at the former Sackville Road trading estate, where developer Moda is building 564 new homes for rent across six buildings, interspersed with green spaces and pedestrian routes.

The developer selected three artists as winners of a competition to design a mural, which will feature on the exterior wall of the site during the construction of the new neighbourhood.

James Blakely, planning director at Moda, said: “We’re so excited to see Tom’s stunning mural appear in Sackville Road.

“We had a fantastic response to our call for artists to design a mural from so much local talent, so it was a real challenge from our judging panel to select the final three.

“The winners are all from Brighton and Hove, with two of them living just a few roads away from the development, so they will be able to walk out of their homes and see their art in their community.

“The mural designs will showcase the features that make Hove such a special place to live and the community that we are building in Sackville Road.”