6003. Peterborough

Last month I visited Peterborough for work, and because it is some distance away from Bristol, I stayed the night before the workshop I was leading, in a hotel. On the way to my lodgings, I took a meandering route (as I always do when visiting an unfamiliar town or city), and was rewarded with this unbelievable mural by Nyces (Nathan Murdoch).

It appears that Nyces is ‘the’ street artist in town, and although there are small pockets of graffiti writing in various places, Nyces ‘owns’ the walls of Peterborough. This outstanding piece is obviously a reflection of the horrific war in Gaza, with a child in combat gear sitting forlornly in a desert near a makeshift dwelling. A spray can sits amongst pebbles in the foreground, but the small bacon of hope comes from the snowdrop flower emitting some sparkles of light. This is a moving piece that has a calm about it, a sense of resignation – very powerful. It is superbly painted too.

I got really lucky on my way back to the station after my workshop. I had been told that there was an artist painting in the shopping centre opposite the station, and indeed it was Nyces who was painting a series of large murals to brighten the place up. Naturally I introduced myself and has great chat with him. Although he doesn’t leave Peterborough too often, he has visited Bristol once or twice in the past. One or two more pieces to come from Peterborough’s Nyces.