Future Walls - Sunderland’s Street Art Programme

The unveiling of the world's first AI-generated image created into a real-life, physical mural in the ever-changing and now vibrant streets of Sunderland! 

About The Future Walls Street Art Programme

Future Walls is an ambitious street art programme that will see the collaboration of local talent alongside our Art of Protest Project’s in-house team. 

We plan to bring world-leading international street artists to Sunderland to elevate culture and connectivity. This programme will offer opportunities for creatives who are eager to launch or magnify their careers, and not just for themselves, but for their peers. Future Walls will put Sunderland on the map as a street art hot spot and elevate the local artists who we have met, who we have listened to, and who we believe in. The creatives who have expressed their views, dreams and hopes for a better path to visibility and freedom of artistic expression.

Future Walls will illuminate Sunderland's streets by infusing collaboration with cohesion. This programme will provide colourful storytelling and imagination to the communities’ shared public spaces, but more importantly, our delivery team will continue providing opportunities, leadership support, and guidance while remaining committed to listening, learning, and growing alongside Sunderland’s residents and amplifying its talented creatives. 

Sunderland is on the brink of exponential growth and change, and we at AOP Projects firmly believe that our collective efforts are greater than the sum of our parts. The importance of teamwork and synergy in achieving our shared goals has never been more important as we facilitate positive changes and step into an evolving city that is changing rapidly.

With open hearts and willing minds, our hands are capable of remarkable achievements. Join us in this journey and become a part of the movement. Together, let's shape Sunderland’s urban environment, for everyone. The journey starts now..

We don’t call Future Walls a project, but rather a programme. This is because Future Walls is being delivered utilising a three-pillared approach to our plan:

1. Community Engagement

2. Talent Development

3. Strategic Curation, Production and Delivery

We are committed to making this programme a collaborative effort, bridging the gap between renowned international artists and Sunderland’s local talent. Our Future Talent programme has been thoughtfully designed to nurture homegrown artists, providing them with the skills and opportunities to flourish in the world of public realm art. Our mission is to help create the exports of the future, so Sunderland artists can practice their skills anywhere they want in the world.

We have already planted deep roots in Sunderland, engaging with over 1,500 local residents, students, business owners, artists, teachers, counsellors and many, many more. We’ve engaged using a variety of settings from boots on the ground to pop-up events, intimate meetings and online forums, to round table discussions, school visits, and public events.

We’ve shared and we’ve listened, having meaningful conversations and making some incredible connections. In July 2023, we kick-started Future Walls with a launch that was nothing short of spectacular, with over 20 star-studded paste-ups scattered around Sunderland, setting the stage for an incredible journey. We set up shop at Sunderland’s music festival, SunLun Calling, and ran spray paint and stencil workshops, allowing the public to join in and understand the medium of spray paint by creating their own unique art. 

We listened to the people who didn’t understand our mission at first. We’ve brought many of them on board. We’ve given volunteer-based and paid opportunities to local artists on over eight projects and counting. We’re committed to continuing these practices to foster the change we have been told needs to happen, and that we recognise and believe in. We want to fight the good fight and make artists more visible. We want to elevate their platform and make sure they earn the living they deserve while gaining experience and developing their chosen craft. Together, we will prevail. And we’ll make the next generation proud of the path we’ve paved. We need your help. We want your help. Get in touch to join this amazing cause and be part of the change you want to see in the world.

Future Walls is not just your average street art programme. It's an ambitious venture that celebrates the convergence of creativity and technology. Future Walls will seek to create an imaginative urban backdrop that navigates people around the city, capturing the essence of Sunderland's identity. Collaborating with Brighton-based street artists, The Postman, we embarked on the delivering the first set of activations in July 2023, which has brought iconic characters to life on the walls, creating a paste-up trail with relevant icons, adding a splash of colour and attracting attention to the programme.

We also put up an incredibile mural, and one that we’re proud to say is a first of its kind. “Alice in Sunderland” was created as we took to the algorithms, utilising the integration of an AI-generated image which was then applied to a physical urban canvas, offering a unique experience. This work of art aimed to invite the viewer to explore the future's relationship with its past, and ponder the ethical implications of using AI technology in art. The piece was created in an effort to start a conversation about what’s possible for pushing the boundaries between AI and art and understanding the limitations that technology presents in this creative realm. The devil is in the details…look closely at the cards and the Queen of Heart’s hands. Can you spot any other details that are clearly not created by a human? Why do the algorithms create strange results?  

Why Alice in Wonderland, you may wonder? We sought inspiration from the enchanting tale of Lewis Carroll, where imagination knows no bounds. Carroll himself roamed the streets of Sunderland and visited the nearby coastal areas with the real-life Alice, seeking inspiration from Sunderland to create his most famous work of all time, you guessed it, Alice in Wonderland. It's a groundbreaking feat that fills us with immense pride and excitement! 

Currently, we’re in the stage of the programme where we’re collating and analysing all of the engagement data that we’ve captured. We’ll then be looking to the future and consider what the walls will actually look like, and begin the process of commissioning the art which will reflect our engagement work’s findings.

It's a moment of triumph for the people of Sunderland as they step into the limelight and make their mark on the global street art scene. We are honoured to be part of this journey, cultivating conversations and fostering connections through street art. Our hearts are brimming with excitement as we witness Sunderland's transformation into a more vibrant, colourful, curated environment fueled by the interventions we have in store. 

This incredible programme would not have been possible without a partnership with Sunderland BID and the support of an amazing community in Sunderland, as well as an incredible bunch of programme partners. We are grateful for the opportunity to uplift local artists and create a visually engaging world for everyone to enjoy.

With boundless excitement and gratitude,

The Art of Protest Projects Team

P.S. To learn more about magic behind the AI-generated mural and discover more about Future Walls, visit www.futurewalls.uk. Don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments…we'd love to hear from you!