Street Art.

by Meghna Mukherjee

In attempt to add value to the community, students from from Ysgol Ardudwy secondary school in Harlech had painted and designed panels at the local railway station a few weeks ago. But the children’s work has been damaged by vandalists.

The students had tried to spruce up Harlech railway station in Gwynedd, Wales, but a fire on Sunday destroyed a lot of their work. It seemed that a stolen scooter had been set on fire and those flames damaged the shelter at the station, British Transport Police said.

With public art being one of the major tools to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together and build a community culture, such an event is disappointing. Vandalism and street art have always gone hand in hand. In many cities across the UK, graffiti is looked upon more as a nuisance than an art form. However, most people feel that it's sad that even when people try and create public art for the benefit of the neighbourhood, it's not allowed to remain untouched.

The art project was initiated when the Women's Institute decided to smarten up the station, which locals thought had become an eyesore. A mural was created for one of the shelters, with work carried out by WI volunteers, while the school students had been given a panel each for their stencils to decorate another shelter.

Amanda Sims, of Harlech WI, told the BBC she was disappointed but was determined the panels would be repaired. ''The difference it's made has been fantastic. I think it's united the community because so many people were involved. The children were there for three days but the two teachers gave extra time because they knew the children wouldn't be able to do it in the time they had - they must've spent a good week there,'' she said.

However, residents of many neighbourhoods that have legal public art are worried about arsonists destroying this work. The Splott Road Railway Bridge in Cardiff has recently been given a new look. With bright colours adorning the sides of the bridge, the look of the entire area has been upgraded. Yet, there are already signs of damage as people have started to scratch and carving their names into the paint.

''It's a big worry. We don't want to see people spoiling the look of this bridge because so much effort went into making it look good. It is built of community feeling. In fact, a few days back we had Splott Family Fun Day when everyone came together. It will be very upsetting if people illegally spoil the new look,'' says Joni Pritchard, resident of the area.

18-year-old Alex Cousin who lives around the area feels possessive about the bridge. ''I feel scared that someone will spoil the look. This painting project been such an image makeover for Splott. It's very good for our morale too,'' he says.

Most art enthusiasts feel it's important to have more legal spaces where youngsters can express themselves. Graffiti artists especially feel that they have been given a bad name due to all the illegal work on the roads.

Legal graffiti walls, such as the ones in Bute Town, Roath and Llandaff in Cardiff, have only added to the look of the area, and most residents feel such projects must be encouraged. ''There is some extraordinary work here. If artists can come and display their talent in legal ways, that will be good for everyone,'' says Chloe Gould who lives in Bute Town.

Wales' first and largest graffiti project, The Boiler House, took off in Cardiff in April this year. The space, that used to be an old boiler room, now hosts regular exhibitions, shows, sells graffiti supplies and allows artists from all over UK to come and experiment with their work. 26-year-old Bryce Davies, who started 'Peaceful Progress' – a graffiti initiative that shows the art-form in positive light and is the organisation that owns the Boiler House, feels such projects are essential.

''We wanted to create a space where artists and enthusiasts could come and paint regularly. And for all the people who don't know much about graffiti and hip-hop culture, they can come and find out more about it, look at the work and even buy some art works on canvas if they want,'' informs Mr Davies.

However, the need of the hour is to protect the existing public art projects as much as possible, for more to be encouraged.