A GRAFFITI artist from Bristol has kickstarted the Tunnels of Love project in Newton Abbot underpasses. 

Giant letters spelling the project name, ‘Tunnels of Love’, appeared over the bank holiday weekend and is a precurser to artwork to be installedlater in the Summer which will provide space for local, young artists to do their best graffiti work. 

Newton Abbot Community Interest Company is working with local artists on the Tunnels of Love Project which will see subway spaces across town transformed from their current state into uplifting, and engaging spaces to walk through. 

The first piece of art in the River Lemon subway near ASDA has been unveiled and local people have called it ‘stunning’!

Project coordinator and local artist, Kate Green, said: ‘The subway near ASDA has been such an uncomfortable space for people to walk through over the last couple of years, with layers and layers of tags along with offensive images and words. The current artwork is temporary while we organise a make-over for the summer months. 

‘We will organise some summer workshops for local young people, giving them new skills to create beautiful artworks to be displayed in golden frames along the subway wall. We will film the artworks and share what local people create on social media platforms.’

More artwork is on the way at the Penn Inn underpasses, and Kate has been working with a team of artists to engage with local schools and community groups across the last six months to create artworks and gather words providing the inspiration for giant artworks to be installed in the four subway tunnels in July this year. 

Kate said: ‘ So many people have said how much they dread walking through subways in Newton Abbot and we want to change that experience into something engaging and positive.’

The Penn Inn artwork will feature a giant, ceramic tree, hundreds of hearts, photos of local dogs and cyclists, games, a treasure hunt to find Iron Age animals that were discovered near the underpasses and memories of the former leisure park with its lake and swimming pool. 

Emily Farrell from Newton Abbot CIC said: ‘This project will clean up the subways, create artworks people can appreciate, and improve public safety by improving the lighting. We would like to thank the Arts Council England, and Devon County and Teignbridge  Councils for their funding and support.’