Falmouth students turn Church Street car park tunnel into public art

The pedestrian tunnel linking Church Street car park with Falmouth town centre has a new look. Thousands of people walk through it every week, and from this week they are greeted by plants, birds, insects and creatures painted across its walls in bright colour.

The mural and the people behind it

The large-scale artwork was designed and led by Falmouth University illustration students Vinny Lynch and Gemma Pasmore, who spent the past week bringing their design to life with help from students at Falmouth School, along with other helpers and volunteers.

The design draws on Falmouth’s natural environment and public gardens. It is the first project of its scale for both students, and it took their original illustration all the way from concept to a finished piece of public art.

“This is the first mural either of us has worked on, so it has definitely been a big learning curve, particularly understanding how to take an illustration and translate it onto such a large scale,” Vinny and Gemma said.

“We’re really pleased with how it has come together and the response while we’ve been painting has been amazing. So many people have stopped to look, talk to us and tell us how much they like it, and the children in particular have loved spotting all the different creatures.

“It has been such a rewarding project to work on and we would absolutely love to create more murals together in the future.”

A project shaped by young people

The mural was commissioned and funded by Falmouth BID as part of its work to bring more creativity and colour into the town’s public spaces.

“One of the things we want to do through the BID is look at the visual experience of Falmouth and find opportunities to bring more colour, creativity and interest into the town,” said Falmouth BID Manager Keren Cooksey.

“Public art has the ability to completely change how a space feels. It can make people smile, encourage them to stop and look at somewhere differently, and create something that people feel belongs to their town. This tunnel is used by thousands of people coming into Church Street from the car park, and it has been wonderful to watch it transform over the course of the week.

“But what makes this project particularly special is the number of young people who have had a hand in creating it. Vinny and Gemma have put an enormous amount of work into the design and painting, and seeing them working alongside students from Falmouth School and other volunteers has been brilliant. They should be incredibly proud of what they have created.”

The work started with a creative competition for pupils at Falmouth School and King Charles Primary School, who were asked to design their own flora and fauna inspired by Falmouth and its surroundings. Elements of the winning entries were folded into Vinny and Gemma’s final illustration, making the children’s own creativity a permanent part of the finished piece. During the painting week, students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 at Falmouth School also came down to the tunnel to help.

Bringing schools and university together

The idea for the collaboration came from Head of Art Charlotte Laity at Falmouth School, bringing together local schools, university students and Falmouth BID around one piece of artwork shaped by young people at different stages of their creative education.

“This project perfectly captures what education is all about, giving young people meaningful opportunities to work alongside experts, contribute to their community and see that their ideas really do matter,” said Falmouth School Headteacher Joanne Guest.

“Our students have loved being involved and have shown such enthusiasm, creativity and pride throughout. We are incredibly grateful to Charlotte Laity for bringing this partnership together, to Vinny and Gemma for inspiring our students so brilliantly, and to Falmouth BID for investing in both our young people and our town. The finished mural is a wonderful legacy and a fantastic example of what can be achieved when schools, higher education and the local community work together.”

The mural now gives anyone arriving from Church Street car park a new welcome into the heart of Falmouth, and a showcase for the young people who made it.