The first Askew Road Arts Festival opened with an eye-catching street mural ahead of a jam-packed weekend.
The free or low-cost Shepherds Bush festival is celebrating all things arts and culture in the area and runs until Wednesday (25 September).
Ahead of the event, local traders unveiled a new mural on the corner of Hadyn Park Road. The mural – sponsored by H&F Council and the Askew Road Business Association – was designed by the team at Forevermore Tattoo London in nearby Hadyn Park Road.
The mural's old-style tattoo imagery reflects the rich local artistry in the street. It replaces a previously neglected building site hoarding which has attracted unsightly fly-tipping for years.
Jo Szwedzinski, tattoo artist and co-owner of Forevermore, said: “It’s fantastic to see the spotlight being shown on all the creative traders, shops and artists in Askew Road. We’ve got everything.
“Thanks to H&F Council and the Askew Road Business Association for making the new street art mural happen. It’s a great way to kick of the new arts festival.”
The community response to the festival has been overwhelmingly positive.
The festival's curator Kate Fishenden said: “The festival is about creating a sense of pride in the neighbourhood, and we’ve used art as a mechanism to bring the neighbourhood together. It’s a really interesting area, there are a lot of artists around and it’s got a lot of historical culture as well.”
“The response [to the festival] so far has been brilliant, there has been a lot of buzz in the street and people are really talking about it.”
You can catch Jo down at Starch Green (renamed Gaggle Goose Green for the event) on Saturday from 11am to 3pm. She’ll be applying special ‘Askew Road’ temporary tattoos to children and adults alike.
This weekend at the festival
Starch Green – located at the southern end of Askew Road – will be transformed into a village fete on Saturday (21 September) with local children’s author Molly Arbuthnott launching her new book.
Following a 10-shop treasure hunt, participants will be able to get their hands on a free copy of the author’s new adventure tale Jennifer the Goose, featuring illustrations from the children at nearby Greenside Primary School.
This will join the unveiling of a giant goose sculpture on the green, with many other activities on hand to keep the whole family entertained.
Later in the afternoon, Abi Lawrence will be hosting a free drop-in clay workshop at Detour Cafe, before the day wraps up with a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the Ravenscourt Park Glasshouses.
On Sunday afternoon, the action moves to Greenside Primary School near Cathnor Park as it opens its doors to the Bouncing Off the Walls graphic art fair. The haven of mid-century prints, books and design ephemera will feature a variety of work from local illustrators, artists, publishers, printers, authors and designers.
Next week at the festival
The festival will continue until the evening of Wednesday (25 September).
On Monday, catch Nathan Bryon – co-writer of the hit indy-film Rye Lane, and writer of TV show Bad Education – for an educational screenwriting discussion.
This is followed by a double dose art and culture on Tuesday as Ekta from StoryBeyondLines guides audiences through the step-by-step process of creating beautiful mandalas at Askew Gallery. While playwright Angela Bolger leads a talk about the work of celebrated Jamaican artists' model, Fanny Eaton at Kite studios in the evening.
The festival will close with a charity auction and final party at the new Arthurs Coffee House in Seven Stars roundabout on Wednesday.
For more details, visit the festival’s website.
