Have you noticed something a little different about Middleport?
Appetite, community group Middleport Matters and screen printing studio We are Culla have been working together behind the scenes to transform a gable end in Middleport as part of our Just for you… Middleport project!
Now, we are so excited to reveal our Just For You Middleport mural! Designed and painted by Florence Blanchard through We are Culla, the design of the mural was decided by the people of Middleport who received postcards asking them what Middleport meant to them and what they would like to see in a mural celebrating their town.
You can check-out the mural on the gable end of Morton Street, Middleport.
We also asked three local songwriters to create songs inspired by what the community had to say about their home town. The songs were performed to residents of Middleport at the unveiling of the mural on Saturday 12 June. You can now listen to the songs created by Nick Taylor, Kez Lidle and Jamal Le Doux via the links below.
About the artist
Florence Blanchard
Florence Blanchard is a French painter, muralist and screen printer based in the UK. Blanchard began writing graffiti in the early 1990’s under the name Ema, and spent ten years based in New York where she graduated with a PhD from New York University in 2008. Her work is directly inspired by her past experience working as a scientist and writing graffiti and depicts abstracts molecular landscapes questioning our idea of visual perception.
About the songwriters
Ledouu
Ledouu was brought up on a wide variety of music such as garage, rap, reggae, soul, blues and so on, His father who played bass guitar was a major influence in Ledouu starting to create music. Ledouu started writing lyrics and recording songs during high school and producing beats by the time he reached college. Ledouu decided to take more control of his music by mainly working solo & being the producer and directory of the majority of his music. Ledouu has a grime, hip hop and dub influenced sound. You can expect the unexpected with Ledouu’s music. Ledouu aka Jamal Ledoux is also known as a professional boxer and is super middleweight Midlands Champion.
‘I enjoy learning about history and I have always been intrigued by Stoke-on-Trent’s contribution to the clay industry and the impact it had/has on the city. When I was approached about making a song for the community of Middleport, it made complete sense for me to highlight it’s wonderful heritage, history and scenery.’
Nixon Tate
‘I’ve been writing songs for about 15 years now in some guise or other, and I always pick up pieces of inspiration from all different aspects of day to life, the characters that shape it.’
‘Getting involved in community projects is something I’ve started to do more of over the past few years. Looking into the tapestry of local life and the people that make their communities what they are, is something that really intrigues me. I feel a real sense of honour in being allowed to interpret someone’s experiences and story, bringing it life lyrically and musically. Writing to a brief is a different way of working for me, but it’s great to keep pushing and trying new things, and it’s something I’ll look to keep doing.’
Kez Liddle
I’m 22, born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and have been gigging since I was around 16. I like to make feels-filled folksy music either on my own or with my band Borogoves. I’ve been involved with the Stoke-on-Trent art scene for years, as a musician and also as a volunteer with Appetite and at local music festivals like Your City Festival (where I’ve now been promoted to volunteer coordinator, yay me!). I love Stoke, so getting involved with the Songs for Middleport project was an absolute joy. I love our secretly thriving arts scene and sense of community, and the way we can band together to push through anything (as 2020 proved), so being able to but those feelings into song form was a lovely experience.
About Middleport Matters
Middleport Matters started as a volunteer group in 2015 and became a Company Limited by Guarantee (not for profit) in 2018. The team now consists of paid employees and volunteers who facilitate and deliver a variety of projects in the local area of Middleport, Longport & Dalehall, including; sports & physical activities, health & wellbeing sessions, a community allotment (Root n Fruit), creative and social activities, litter picks and other environmental projects.
All our activity is community led – identified by a gap in services or through discussion and engagement with local residents. We passionately care about the local area and want to see it become a safe, thriving and welcoming place for everyone.
About We are Culla
We are Culla are a creative organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent. Day to day we work with educational establishments, local authorities, individual creatives and all sizes of businesses. We offer high end bespoke screen printing and design services and workshops as well as internal and exterior mural painting and project management services, drawing on our extensive connections within the city and from an international portfolio of artists.
Our aim is to be catalysts of creative culture within the city and wider region by focusing on these areas and inspiring the next generation of creatives.
