In collaboration with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and activists Led By Donkeys, students from our Graphic Communication Design programme repainted the memorial for those who died from COVID-19, helping to set it in perpetuity.
The Memorial Wall was begun in March 2021 by those who’d lost loved ones to COVID-19 and wanted to publicly commemorate them. There are now over 150,000 pink and red hearts painted on the wall and the mural stretches 500m.
Over three days, students volunteered to repaint thousands of hearts giving the memorial a coat of weather-resistant paint transforming it into a permanent monument.
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BA Graphic Communication student painting the National COVID Memorial Wall (Photo: Ellen Huynh)
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BA Graphic Communication student painting the National COVID Memorial Wall
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BA Graphic Communication student painting the National COVID Memorial Wall
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BA Graphic Communication student painting the National COVID Memorial Wall (Photo: Ellen Huynh)
Working collaboratively and with real-world impact, the experience also allowed participants to consider the relationship between mark-making, memory, place and power. The wall sits on the river Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament. “I feel like the location of this is very visceral,” reflects student Puthimart Naothaworn, “it's right next to where all the decisions are made… I think that it's good to take part in something when you have the opportunity, especially if it can have an impact."
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Inguna Ziemele | Not Perfect
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Joanna Wirazka, Grandma's Cellar