Following the success of the award-winning Chatty Benches initiative, Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) graduates are taking centre stage at Castlepoint this summer, bringing a dynamic new community space to life through live mural painting.
The project, titled Connect at Castlepoint, has transformed the open-air space outside Marks & Spencer into an inclusive, creative hub designed to encourage locals to meet, relax, and create together.
Central to the transformation is a series of live mural paintings on dedicated summer houses surrounding the main seating area. Executed by recent graduates from AUB’s BA (Hons) Illustration course, the murals mark a key professional milestone for many of the emerging artists, providing them with their first major commercial commission.
Vincent Larkin, Course Leader of BA (Hons) Illustration at AUB, highlighted the importance of public commissions for emerging visual communicators:
“Our course has always focused on empowering students to see their work as an active, positive force within the wider community. Collaborating with Castlepoint gives our graduates a brilliant platform to showcase their skills on a monumental scale."
Public artist and AUB Visiting Tutor Bridie Cheeseman was responsible for the art direction of the project, liaising with the graduates on their designs.
“For many of these artists, this project represents their very first paid public art commission," she says. "Seeing their illustrations transition from studio sketchbooks to large-scale, live murals in a busy public space is a great first step in building a professional creative career."
The campaign builds directly on AUB’s established partnership with Castlepoint. Previously, students collaborated with the shopping destination and mental health charity Dorset Mind to create the award-winning Chatty Benches scheme, an initiative engineered to tackle loneliness and spark conversation across the local community.
David Pickett, Centre Manager at Castlepoint, expressed his enthusiasm for continuing the collaboration:
“Connect at Castlepoint is all about bringing people together. We are especially pleased to be working with Arts University Bournemouth again, after the success of the Chatty Benches initiative, providing a platform for local students and showcasing the creativity and talent that exists right here in our community.”
Later in the season, the summer houses will be updated to showcase further artwork and design elements created by current AUB students, all built around the unifying theme of human connection.
Alongside the live artwork, the Connect at Castlepoint destination has featured an accessible sensory 'ribbon river' installation, interactive British Sign Language (BSL) stations, and a packed schedule of weekly creative workshops throughout August.
