C.R.E.W. #LFA2026

(ONGOING)

Collective Roots Expressed on Walls

C.R.E.W. is a participatory street art initiative designed as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2026. The project sits at the intersection of youth empowerment, public space, and creative practice, questioning who gets to shape the visual identity of our cities.

Delivered over 15 weeks, C.R.E.W. brings together young people aged 12-15 in a structured series of weekly workshops that transition from learning, to making, to transforming.

Working with We Restart and Cleaner Steps CIC, participants are introduced to street art through guided sessions, in which they develop skills in graffiti techniques, tagging, composition, colour theory, and mural design, all while critically engaging with the cultural, social, and ethical practices within street art.

The programme is process-driven, with early workshops focusing on confidence building, identity, and authorship through drawing and the creation of personal tags that take the form of crafted visual signatures. As the weeks progress, we'll be shifting towards collaborative work and co-designing mural concepts that reflect their shared experiences of belonging, displacement, community, and local identity.

This initiative will result in the culmination of a series of public mural, designed and painted by the C.R.E.W., acting as visual interventions and the rejuvenation of neglected or overlooked sites. The C.R.E.W. will reframe street art from an act of rebellion into shaping the built environment.