Update Sunday
Spectators and artists have declared the weekend Walk the Walls festival at Caringbah a huge success.
By mid Sunday afternoon, most artists had finished or were close to completing their murals,
Visitors were enthralled.
Scott and Katrina Freeman, of Caringbah, said the street art was “fantastic”.
“It’s great for the area – adds a bit of colour to Caringbah, and it’s tremendous to see so many people out enjoying it,” Mr Freeman said.
Catherine, from Cronulla, said, “I will really enjoy coming down here in future and looking at all this beautiful art”.
Allan Tupaea said, “It brings a bit of life into Caringbah. I have come down to look a couple of times for a look and there have been a lot of people around.”
The Ox King (Steve), who was working at the walkway entrance from Kingsway, said it had been “really exciting’.
“Everyone is really positive abut the walls,” he said.
“Hundreds of people have come past and I think I have met them all.”
Steve said most of the artists painted until it was dark.
“It’s a bit of a party down here in the evening,” he said.
Update Saturday
Lots of people are taking having a look at the murals at the Walk the Walls street art festival in Caringbah on Saturday.
On Friday night, the Bearded Brothers put on a dance display outside their mobile street stall mobile food container Knafeh.
Sutherland Shire Council posted a video (see below) with the advice to visitors, “Don’t worry if you miss them. They’ll be back from 3pm till late Saturday and Sunday nights.”
Earlier
Thirty-four street artists descended on Caringbah on Friday to paint the town red – and blue and green and orange and …
By mid-afternoon of the first day of the Walk to Walls festival, 23 drab or graffiti coloured walls had come to life.
The murals will be completed over the weekend when crowds of spectators are expected.
Dozens of milk crates have been spread around the main work area, between Kingsway and Coles, where visitors can sit and watch, listen to music and enjoy the food offerings.
The Bearded Bakers and their mobile food container Knafeh is among the caterers.
Indigenous artist Zachary Bennett-Brook, from Wollongong, is painting the wall of the seafood shop next to the train station.
”Zach” said he had no preconceived ideas.
“I just turned up and had a look at the space, got a bit of feeling for it and got stuck in,” he said.
“I came up with a bit of a design and then decided on some colours that would be symbolic to the area.
“The symbols are based loosely on meeting places.
“Caringbah is a big meeting place for different groups such as sporting clubs, schools and community groups.
“The colours I am using represent the natural environment of the area.”
Attorney-General and Cronulla MP Mark Speakman joined Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce for the official opening of the festival.
The state government provided $50,000 for the project.
“I think its putting the ‘care’ back into Caringbah,” Mr Speakman said.
“I grew up here in the ’60s and ’70s when Caringbah was the hub of the shire.
“There was [department store] McDowell’s, which became Waltons, and I worked in Lowes for seven years.
“Since then, with the expansion of Westfield, Caringbah has faded.
“This is a great chance to turn the whole town around.”
Mr Speakman said graffiti crime in NSW had dropped by 45 per cent over the last five years.
In the shire, there had been a 30 per cent drop.
”Part of that is due to better policing, but prevention is better than cure,” he said.
“If you can design crime out by doing walls like this it is better than leaving them there for graffiti taggers.
“This [project] will reduce graffiti crime, improve the town and leave some amazing examples of street art for all to enjoy.”
Cr Pesce said, judging by the response on social media, residents were very impressed with the project.
“From what I have seen on the first day, I think it’s fantastic,” he said.
Cr Pesce said graffiti incidents in Sutherland Shire fell from 360 in 2012-13 to 256 in 2016-17.
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