Students go environmental

12:43pm Tuesday 17th June 2008

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IN AN effort to raise environmental awareness, students from Bromley College of Further and Higher Education joined community artist Julian Phethean to create an exclusive mural.

As part of Environmental Awareness Week, the workshop was intended to promote the responsible use of graffiti art and helped to improve the image of the negatively stigmatized art.

Students discussed the issue of graffiti vandalism while using an authorised space to express their creative sides.

The finished painting, which focuses on respect, will be used to decorate the college's recently refurbished student common room.

Julian Pethean, director of Positive Arts, said: "The word graffiti often congers up very negative connotations as most people think of tagging' and criminal damage.

"Graffiti is now a respected art form and it is important young people are aware of how it can be used legally and positively."

A representative from Bromley Borough Council, Jackie Baxter, came along to speak to students about the effects of illegal graffiti.

She said: "Up to £3,000 of taxpayer's money is spent per year in the Bromley borough removing graffiti.

"The amount being spent on its removal has doubled in the last two years and vandals never think about who actually pays for the damage their creating."

Julian added: "Projects like this one aim to educate young people of the dangers and consequences of doing graffiti illegally and focus on the artistic element."

IT student Lucas Burgess, who took part in the workshop said: "I've never done spray painting before, so it's been a new challenge for me."