Saturday 30 March 2013

Mural - St Peter Street

The striking and unique mural on the side of the most northerly tenement in St Peter Street (pictured right) has been in place since 1982.    Residents have said to me that it might be needing a repaint as it has begun to fade over the years.

The City Council's planning officer who deals with public art has advised me:

"The mural is now over 30 years old which is very unusual for a mural of this type.   The mural was carried by a group called Artists Collective in 1982.   The artists worked with the children of Blackness Primary School who were involved in a Dundee history project.   The Gable at that time needed a lot of repair and therefore the mural costs (funded by SDA) such as the scaffolding costs were shared with the repair budget.   

I have not seen the mural close up for some time so unaware of any recent problems.   Though the mural has faded in its brightness, it is still appears to be reasonably strong and readable.  Unless the paint is showing signs deterioration and peeling off then it is better to leave it alone. 

To refresh the whole surface with new paint we should consider a budget of well over £25k. 

I will go and have a look at the gable, but if the paint is still sound I would probably recommend little to no action at this time."