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Reanimating New Brighton
Over the past few days we’ve been quietly working through boxes of history.
Victorian promenade scenes. Wartime photographs. Art Deco posters. Seaside postcards. Faded images from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Moments captured in silver nitrate and ink, then left to sit still for decades.
We took those photographs and, using generative AI, began to bring them back to life.
Not as a gimmick. Not as a filter. Not as a one-click trick.
The State of the Art
There are winters in New Brighton when the sea feels like a neighbour. And there are winters when it feels like a judge. This has been one of the judging ones.
Something is growing in New Brighton
February is usually about Valentine’s cards, supermarket roses and predictable gestures of love. But this year, something else is happening in New Brighton.
Statement: Public art, free expression, and vandalism in New Brighton
It hurts to see public art in New Brighton vandalised like this.
New Brighton Creative Futures exists to support artists and creative expression in the public realm. We recognise freedom of expression as a protected right in the UK (Human Rights Act 1998, Article 10). But that right is not a licence to damage other people’s work or property.
Spraying over existing murals, defacing buildings, and repeatedly tagging areas of the promenade and storm channel is not “street art” in any meaningful sense — it is vandalism. Graffiti without the owner’s consent is widely treated as criminal damage.
Joint Statement from Friends of Marine Lake & New Brighton Creative Futures
Friends of Marine Lake, in collaboration with New Brighton Creative Futures, remain deeply committed to celebrating and enhancing New Brighton's Marine Lake as a cultural and community landmark.
Penfold’s “Torn but Not Broken”: The Lost Mural That Sparked a Street’s Revival — and the Ultra-Rare Print That Survives
In the early days of Victoria Road’s cultural reawakening, long before New Brighton’s mural trail became a destination, one artwork stood out as a turning point. High above Rockpoint Records, stretching across the façade in a blaze of colour, Mr Penfold painted Torn but Not Broken — a mural defined by its abstract, pattern-rich surfaces, sliced open with his signature “torn layer” effect.
Limited Edition SNIK Prints Released to Support New Brighton’s Next Landmark Mural
Every major mural in New Brighton begins long before a spray can touches a wall. It starts with conversations, ideas, small acts of support and a community deciding — together — that a new piece of art is worth bringing into the world.
THE SPIRIT OF THE LAKE
Some moments crystallise what New Brighton is becoming. Friday’s inauguration of the Captain Mike Lowe mural was one of them — a gathering of people who care deeply about this town, its stories, and its future. And in the middle of all that warmth and energy, something quite special happened: Spirit of the Lake became part of the day.
Activating the OpenAIR Gallery: A New Chapter for Creativity in New Brighton
Today we launch something bigger than a video, bigger than a campaign — it’s a statement of intent. New Brighton Creative Futures is activating the OpenAIR Gallery as a living, breathing creative engine for the town. Not just a place to look at murals, but a place to learn from them, create with them, and build futures around them.
Captain Mike Lowe Mural Inauguration — A Moment of Community, Memory and Mersey Pride
New Brighton came together in extraordinary style for the inauguration of the Captain Mike Lowe mural — an afternoon that felt less like an event and more like a collective exhale. After years of turbulence in the local cultural landscape, this was a moment of reconnection: emotional, grounded, and deeply human. A kind of community healing, shaped by shared stories and the pride of a town rediscovering its creative strength.
New Brighton Creative Futures signs the Armed Forces Covenant
New Brighton Creative Futures CIC is proud to have formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant, joining thousands of organisations across the UK in pledging our support for serving personnel, veterans, reservists, and their families.
Why Everyone’s Talking About the Captain on the Wall in New Brighton
Sometimes the best ideas start with a simple conversation. This one began at a meeting of the New Brighton Partnership, where local businesses and community groups come together to share ideas, stories, and a bit of hope for the town’s future. Pauline from the Floral Pavilion turned to me and said, “What about a mural for Captain Mike Lowe?”
Mr Penfold — Colour, Rhythm, and the Courage to Do Your Own Thing
Some artists chase realism. Mr Penfold (Tim Ford) chases rhythm: shape, line, balance, and colour tuned until they hum. The nickname stuck from school; the drawing never stopped. He started writing at 11–12, moved into characters by 15, then rode that early, nameless moment before “street art” was a label—logos, stencils, playful figures—until his taste and hand matured into the bold abstraction he’s known for now.
Dotmasters — Precision, Pranks, and the Joy of Getting Noticed
Leon — better known as Dotmasters — sits at the point where craft meets mischief. A London-based stencil artist with a history of playful interventions and sharp technique, he’s spent two decades proving you can be serious about process and still have a sense of humour about everything else.
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