Halve It Component:

My design project focuses on the Environment pillar of our school’s Halve It framework.

By focusing on the environment,  our school adolescents will improve the buildings, looks, and beauty to make the students and staff feel comfort and belonging.

The Dictionary definition for environment is ‘the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives, operates, or exists’.

For my project, I do not wish for the community to exist, I wish for them to live and thrive, and there are many ways to do that. If we achieve this, the outcome will be that not only the school, but the whole Lismore community, will feel a sense of safety, belonging, and Environment. 

Sustainable Development Goal:

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Murals Of The Moment meets SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) because it reduces the crime rate by 28%. Not only that, but it brings the community together when everyone joins in to paint a mural. Physiological data reveals a 22% average drop in cortisol (the primary stress hormone)when engaging in creative pursuits.

Additionally, 75% of individuals experience a measurable decrease in stress hormones when engaging in art activities. It also shows that foot traffic increases by 30-40%. This shows how well creating long lasting murals together as Living School, Middle School can bring people together and create great, community, education, and an environment where Middle School feels a major increase in belonging.

School Context:

If you look closely at our new school campus design, you'll see that there is a big problem.

So many of the walls when you walk around Brown and Jolly are filled with beautiful, amazing walls of murals and amazing art work, until you get up to one section. The walls are filled with nasty graffiti that are absolutely not appropriate for Middle School students to see.

This clearly shows that we immediately need to at least get rid of the graffiti on the walls, and what is a better way to do that than painting a wonderful mural that will show the Living School’s progress over the years. Doing this will calm the students and staff's brain, body, emotions, and mental health. It will also improve their education, concentration, and learning. With these murals, it will benefit more than the school, but also the whole entire Lismore community.

Key Research

Liveability

Murals have a positive impact on the community environment, enhancing the liveability of spaces. Murals can transform a dull and neglected space into a beautiful and vibrant area that can attract much attention. 

According to recent research, murals can increase property value up to 15%, increase foot traffic 30-43%, decrease violent crime up to 28%, and boost word of month recommendation up to 77%.

All of these aspects are very important in a Middle School. Foot traffic is great because it includes more people walking instead of driving, which means that there is less air pollution coming from car gasses. 

Decreasing violent crime is a huge benefit too, especially since we are in the middle of a city. It just creates a safer environment, not only for the Middle School students, but also the staff and whole of the Lismore community.

While safety is important for everyone, it is absolutely important for children. They are at the beginning of their life with hopes of a long and fulfilling one. They are the future generation and need to be considered for many things that come in the future. We don't want them to be uncreative if we want our future world to succeed. This puts a lot of pressure on children of all ages. They will always need something to calm them down. Even if it's something as small as a painting on a wall. They want to be inspired, they want to get ideas, they want to be creative, they want to feel something other than pressure. There are so many ways to do that and someday we will be able to fulfil every way, but we are going to start, start with inspiration for their future selves. It may be small, but it sure does impact them and the liveability of a space.

Hundertwasser

Murals of the Moment also connects with Hundertwasser's way of thinking, majorly. Hundertwasser is known for his imperfection in his art works which show that he is a man of his own mind. Meaning that he does not care what others think. This is a key part of the school's elements and very important for Middle Schoolers to know that they should be allowed to speak their mind and not care what others think.

Hundertwasser has a very unique way to do his own thing. Many of his art works keep the viewer guessing. This is very important for our Middle School and just the community in general. The murals will give the students an open mind which improves their way of learning. It opens opportunities for them later on in life. They become far more creative with whatever work they are doing, and that connects to Hundertwasser extensively

Born on December 15, 1928, in Vienna, Austria, Hundertwasser was born into a family with a mixed religious and cultural heritage. At a young age, he attended the Montessori school in Vienna, where teachers noticed his unusual sense of color and form.

Due to his Jewish family background, he and his mother were under threat during the rise of Nazism. During the war, he made early drawings and sketched from nature. He even studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna after the war. However, after three months of learning, he left, rejecting the formal training. 

In the early 1950s, he traveled through Italy and France, where he also developed friendships with various artists and gradually adopted his artist’s name, Hundertwasser, which translates to “hundred-water” in German/ Slavic roots. All this, together with political hardship and natural beauty, is combined to shape his ideology and philosophy.

How might we design a mural on the communal Brown and Jolly walls that helps students concentrate on their learning and education, and also to help make the Lismore community feel belonging?

With the Murals Of The Moment project, we can create an amazing, safe space where the Middle School and the Lismore community can feel belonging. The students will be allowed to paint their minds. These murals should be located anywhere that there is a blank canvas or just ugly graffiti. It will replace the nasty graffiti or blank space, with a beautiful piece of art that will attract much attention.

The students should be engaged to complete multiple murals. This translates to  multiple moments of feeling. One can be for students to draw and doodle on as they walk by. This will cause inclusion, appearance, and most importantly, belonging. Another can be more of a Huntertwasser painting, with a hint of abstract. Maybe a city with a beautiful starry night sky.

Colors have a direct impact on our mood and emotions. For example, blue tones often replicate calm and serenity. Different shades of yellow can create happiness and positivity, while green tones can accumulate a sense of balance and rejuvenation. This will be an important consideration in mural design.

Incorporating elements of nature in murals, such as landscapes, plants, and water features, can increase feelings of peace and connectedness. Research has shown that seeing nature, even through imagery, can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve overall wellbeing.

The style of a mural can also impact mental health. Abstract art can stir your creative side and stimulate thought, while more realistic imagery can include a sense of grounding and familiarity. Both styles can be beneficial, depending on the impact it has on certain people.  This will not be a problem seeing that it will include the students' help which will allow them to contribute their thoughts on what they would like to include on the murals.

Therefore, we will be sure to use only particular companies to contribute materials, such as local companies. This will benefit them in being a part of this project and having a long lasting mural that they know they have contributed to themselves.

Murals Of The Moment is a project that will stay for years to come. The murals shall stay for others to admire. This is the future, as long as the present.

We need the support of local artists and muralists to work alongside students. We also welcome donations of art supplies and collaborations with organisations.