[ad_1]
The Royston Community Heritage Mural, which was installed at Spire View in Roystonhill at the end of April, has been covered in blocks of green, white, and orange paint.
Artist Annmarie Devlin says the mural has been “completely destroyed”.
READ NEXT:
She told the Glasgow Times: “I’m absolutely heartbroken.
“It was months of work.
“Not just the physical painting but the preparation for it.
“Watching that be completely ruined overnight is soul-destroying.”
Annmarie took more than two months to complete the mural while also working full-time as a civil servant.
She says the design was developed using ideas, drawings, and contributions from local residents, children, and community groups as part of the Royston Creative Heritage Project in partnership with Spire View Housing Association and supported by Glasgow City Council’s Area Partnership Fund.
It celebrated the history, diversity, and identity of Roystonhill and “was created to show pride in an area too often associated with negativity”.
Annmarie says the local community is “very angry” that the mural has now been destroyed.
READ NEXT:
The 45-year-old said: “We are really disappointed.
“Everybody’s so disheartened because it was something not only adults participated in but also children, and we wanted to show how diverse and welcoming the community is.
“Everybody’s absolutely destroyed by it.”
Annmarie says the graffiti “appears to reflect the same type of football-related territorial vandalism and tit-for-tat graffiti that communities across Glasgow have dealt with repeatedly for years”.
She has now written to both Celtic and Rangers calling for the clubs to “publicly and directly” condemn such behaviour.
Annmarie, who has lived in Royston her whole life, said: “Don’t wreck the community and your surrounding areas.
“There’s absolutely no need for it.
“It’s really idiotic and I don’t understand the purpose or benefit of it.
“It’s completely baffling.”
The mural has now been removed to determine if it will be possible to restore it, though Annmarie says she is “not too hopeful” as it appears to be covered in “layers of thick paint”.
She has also asked both Celtic and Rangers to consider supporting restoration efforts for the mural and similar community projects across the city which have been impacted by football-related vandalism.
[ad_2]
Source link
