The online educational publisher Twinkl and a team of local artists have announced the completion of a 70-metre piece of street art in Sheffield.
The work was created by muralist and screen printer Florence Blanchard, with the support of volunteers from Artworks, a not-for-profit creative arts organisation and Sheffield Hallam University.
The mural, which is titled ‘Indian Summer’, is featured on a 70 metres long and 3 metres high wall on Twinkl Way, a road owned by the company which connects Napier Street with Ecclesall Road.
Florence uses her education and training in biology to inspire her work, which often includes shapes and colours from molecular biology. The fusion of art and science reflects the love of learning that is at the core of Twinkl’s mission and values.
Florence, who chose greens, blues, and oranges to brighten up the wall, said:
“I’m really pleased with how this piece came out. It’s the longest piece I’ve ever done, and it’s completely unique, created just for Twinkl. Science inspires my work in many ways. I’m very interested in microscopy, which is all about trying to achieve high contrast at high magnification, which I think you can see in this design.
“I picked summery colours because I wanted to brighten up the wall and bring warmth to it. I think the bright colours and bold shapes reflect the Twinkl ethos of being fun and positive.”
Artworks completed the base coat in preparation for the mural. The organisation helps adults with learning disabilities to work in the arts sector and develop life skills through creative projects.
Liz Carrington, Co-founder of Artworks, said: “We were so excited to be asked to be a part of this project. It was a big task, but our artists loved getting involved and helping Florence with her mural. We all loved the finished mural and hope it brings joy to all that see it!”
Twinkl is also hoping to list the piece on TripAdvisor to attract people to visit the mural and celebrate and share street art in Sheffield. The work links Twinkl’s headquarters at Wards Exchange on Ecclesall Road with its new office at Hallamshire Business Park on Napier Street. But the team hopes that it will be visited and viewed by people from across the city.
Jonathan Seaton, Co-founder and CEO of Twinkl, said: “We’re delighted to have such a bold and beautiful mural connecting our two Sheffield offices. It’s a great way for us to express who we are as a company: bright, fun and most importantly, education-focused.
“We’re also really proud to be championing local artists in Sheffield. Florence is well-known in the city and is extremely talented, as are the artists from Artworks, a brilliant organisation that does some very important work in South Yorkshire.”
Twinkl was founded in 2010 by Jonathan and his wife, Susie. From humble roots as a side-project operated out of a spare room, Twinkl has gone from strength to strength in the past nine years, and now provides high-quality, trusted learning materials to educators in over 196 countries.
The company offers over 625,000 resources on its website and has over 5 million members.
