Brighton street artist The Postman have always been fans of Tony Wilson and his legendary label Factory Records and Hacienda night-club. After seeing a beautiful Marcus Rashford mural in Withington (South of Manchester) they became aware of the crowdfunded street art initiative Withington Walls. After connecting with WW they then realised their mutual love for Tony. The Postman found celebrated rock photographer Kevin Cummins image of him most suitable (taken circa 1990) and got his permission for it to be used.
Ed Wellard at Withington Walls found the perfect mural spot at the local Barber shop on the same street as The Hacienda. The planned installation date is Wednesday 11th starting at 10am. The concept is to do a triple artwork of Tony reflecting three different aspects of his life – the man, the record label genius and the night owl.
‘We are super excited to be heading to Manchester to celebrate one of our personal heroes of the music industry – Tony Wilson. The placement of the mural in Tony’s former hometown of Withington makes it even more of an honour.”
– THE POSTMAN
“Withington Walls are very excited about iconic photographer Kevin Cummings’ shot of cultural catalyst Tony Wilson, outside the original Factory Records offices at 86 Palatine Road, being given the famous The Postman treatment down the road at the Mensroom Barbers” –ED WELLARD
The Postman was born in Brighton in 2018 when two people met by chance and discovered a shared love for street art. The pair became best friends and have since set off on many adventures together. They are rather private individuals and prefer to operate anonymously and work with an ever-growing circle of friends called The Postman Collective. Their work is inspired by a passion for photography and iconic imagery. A love for music and pop culture manifests itself throughout their artworks. The Postman’s unique style also takes influence from their roots in graffiti culture.
Many of their artworks live exclusively on the streets and are never available for purchase. They describe these pieces as ‘impermanent art’, which fades over time, and their fans love to seek these out before they disappear. Their style of street art aims to entertain and cheer up the public. It’s positive and inclusive nature allows people from diverse communities to see themselves represented and heard.
“In our daily lives we are unwillingly bombarded with adverts that are hard to escape from. We want to spread love on the streets by creating free art for people to enjoy. Art that doesn’t discriminate. Art that surprises you in places where you least expect it. Art that is colourful, that celebrates our heroes past and present and shows them in new light.”
–THE POSTMAN
The Postman initially worked as paste-up artists but have since expanded their repertoire to include murals with elements of spray paint, stencils and collage. They feel strongly that teamwork is key with combined efforts leading to greater results. This ideology has led to The Postman collaborating with many great artists – from some of the world’s best photographers like David La Chapelle & Dave Hogan, to rock stars such as Dave Navarro, as well as environmentalists Chris Packham and Caroline Lucas.” Since gaining popularity, they now devote a large proportion of their time to passion projects which benefit charities close to their hearts. To date, these include NACOA, Leave NO Trace, and Brighton Pride.
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