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Changing lives through graffiti : The bright green Percy Bartley House in Woodstock has changed the lives of many young men. -
Changing lives through graffiti : Portraits of the young men were started last year and more have been completed this year. -
Changing lives through graffiti : Street artists from around the world have used their talent to brighten up the home. -
Changing lives through graffiti : David Shillinglaw from the United Kingdom transformed the living room this year with a piece that incorporated the boys' names and words that inspired them. -
Changing lives through graffiti : Indigo from Canada busy with the mural she did of the eldest Percy Bartley resident, Grant Adams.
WORDS: Remy Raitt | IMAGES: Supplied by Ogilvy Cape Town
Bright colours, encouraging messages and innovative street-style characters coat the inside and outside walls of Percy Bartley House in Woodstock, Cape Town. With further help from communication agency Ogilvy Cape Town and Write on Africa, their collection of art is growing.
Last year Ogilvy and Write on Africa collaborated with nine South African street artists, and took on Percy Bartley House, an NGO that houses boys aged between 13 and 18 who have a history of petty crime, drug use or life on the streets, and brightened things up with spraypaint murals.
2011 brings more creative inspiration to the House. Two international graffiti artists, in Cape Town on a residency programme with Word-of-Art, have once again joined forces with Ogilvy to add more colour to the already vibrant building.
Indigo from Canada and David Shillinglaw from the United Kingdom have been hard at work these past few days. David is busy with a mural inside the lounge of the home that incorporates the names of the boys who stay at Percy Bartley’s, while Indigo is transforming the roof of the home with a portrait of the eldest and most respected resident, Grant Adams.
Grant hopes the mural will inspire the other boys to learn from him. He’s a creative person who is currently pouring his energy into a hip-hop demo album. “The art in the house creates an energy that surrounds us. It inspires us all and has a positive effect.”
‘It’s actually inspiring’
Felare Nsanile Nkama, who runs the home, agrees with Grant: “At first I had the mindset that graffiti was gang related, but it’s actually inspiring. The artists make the boys feel part of it and involve and relate them to the art. When David asked them if they would like their names in his piece, they were very positive, saying that one day they would be able to bring their children to the home to show them their names and where they lived.”
She said the Ogilvy team is passionate about the project, and often just pop in to talk to the boys. The murals are only part of the plans they have for Percy Bartley House. A burnt-down section of the property will be rebuilt in future and will possibly be used as an emergency room for boys who come to the home for a few nights of accommodation.
Ogilvy will be permanently involved with the home and are also hoping to branch out to the greater Woodstock community. The agency hopes to set the tone to transform this historically colouful neighbourhood into the vibrant community it once was.
Percy Bartley House is always in need of daily supplies and funding. If you would like to get involved contact Victoria Tatham: victoria.tatham@ogilvy.co.za, 021 467 1174
