Warwick artist-in-residence David Speed chats to The Boar about his new mural, ‘Temporary Home’

Campus artist-in-residence David Speed returned to Warwick in Welcome Week to paint a neon pink goose mural in the Piazza, as part of the University’s ongoing 60^th anniversary celebrations.

The three-metre-high goose, part of a mural named ‘Temporary Home’ which also depicts the iconic FAB stairs, took the acclaimed street artist 60 hours to paint, in keeping with the numerical theme of this year’s anniversary.

Students flocking to and from the Sports and Societies Fairs were able to see the London-based artist at work, spray paint canister in hand.

Speed, whose ‘Retreat to Create’ project has seen him deliver masterclasses and a keynote lecture to Warwick students this year, came up to The Boar’s offices in SUHQ for a quick interview before returning to add the finishing touches to his mural.

The goose concept emerged victorious after a campus-wide vote where it was pitted against a floral design featuring Lady Godiva on horseback – a subject of Coventry legend

He admitted that his latest commission – a fluorescent depiction of one of the University’s beloved greylag geese – was not out of the ordinary in his day-to-day work.

“I’ve painted all over the world, and I’ve painted various different things, so it’s not that crazy. I mean, a couple of weeks ago, I was in Ireland painting a giant fish. So, you know, giant pink animals are kind of something that I’m quite well known for.”

The goose concept emerged victorious after a campus-wide vote where it was pitted against a floral design featuring Lady Godiva on horseback – a subject of Coventry legend.

On why his career has been dominated by pink, Speed said: “Throughout our history, the colour pink has never been taken seriously. There’s very few examples in famous paintings, and it’s almost like, by dismissing pink, we’re also just dismissing women and young girls by dismissing that colour, because we’ve made that colour about those people, which I think is nonsense.”

The host of the Creative Rebels podcast, which has released over 200 episodes since January 2019, related exactly how his love for the colour began.

I think it’s good to have division, and I think it’s healthy to say, ‘you know what, this is not for me’, and then have the other side fighting the case for it

David Speed, Warwick artist-in-residence

“In the pandemic, I discovered a specific can of neon pink spray paint, and just fell in love with this beautiful, vibrant colour, and thought, no one is using this. So, because of that, I was a bit scared to use it, because I didn’t think anyone would like it. I didn’t expect anyone to like my work, but I was just too curious, so I kept playing with it, and I thought I’d maybe be using it for a couple of months. And here we are, five years later, and I’m still painting in pink and following my curiosity.

“It’s unexpected as well. I mean, there’s a lot of pink on campus, I have noticed, which I really like, so I feel like it does fit in, but also it’s surprising. And I think I really like street art that challenges you and is unexpected. When you walk around the corner and you’re confronted with a giant pink goose, I think that’s quite funny.”

The mural took Speed 60 hours to complete | Image: University of Warwick

The Boar was eager to know Speed’s thoughts on the Forum, alluded to by the artist above, particularly after its divisive entry onto campus last year saw it gain its fair share of coverage by this paper. Some students thought it added life to its surroundings, while for many it remains an eyesore.

“I think it can be both, right? Art is subjective, and I’d actually be really sad if I made something that everyone just thought was alright. I’d rather have some people love it and some people hate it. I think it’s good to have division, and I think it’s healthy to say, ‘you know what, this is not for me’, and then have the other side fighting the case for it.

Speed lamented the loss of colour in cities and homes, noting the admittedly drab environment of The Boar’s very own office around him

“I think colour is really important, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be pink, but I think bright colour is something we’re scared of. I think it’s good to get out of the ordinary, because the ordinary is what we have been trained into.”

Speed lamented the loss of colour in cities and homes, noting the admittedly drab environment of The Boar’s very own office around him.

“There have been studies that show that working around bright colour is cognitively great for you, especially within a learning environment.”

Trends towards beige in clothing are “just boring, man”, he said, a far cry from the neon era of his childhood in the ‘80s and ‘90s when “everything was burning your retinas with this beautiful, bright, vibrant colour”.

“It’s lovely to be around young people again,” Speed enthused on his time with Warwick students and local primary and secondary students, mentioning his original aspirations of becoming a teacher before his art career took off.

You’ve got a campus full of highly creative young people, and, yeah, who doesn’t want to be around that energy?

David Speed

“I think the older you get, the more jaded you become about stuff, you know, and I love the passion, the intensity, the strong opinions [of the students].

“While there aren’t any art courses at Warwick, there are so many societies for, I mean, everything. People like singing and making music, and there’s so much art and creativity in the societies here. So, you’ve got a campus full of highly creative young people, and, yeah, who doesn’t want to be around that energy?”

“I think it’s good to get out of the ordinary, because the ordinary is what we have been trained into.” – David Speed | Image: University of Warwick

Speed hopes that Warwick students at their ‘temporary home’ will take something away from his mission here.

“I think making is the most important thing that we do. You learn about yourself when you’re writing or making music, or making a painting. You learn how to process the world around you. And I think that the world would be a much better place if everybody embraced just a little bit of creativity. It doesn’t have to become your full-time job.

“In a world that’s so filled with distraction, and we’ve got our phones, we’ve got social media, and we’ve got all of the stresses that the real world puts on to us, whether it’s trying to get a job, or we’re in a job, or we’re studying, creativity seems to be the first thing to go. It’s like we go, ‘it’s not essential’, and I think it is essential. So, I think I’m here to encourage people to just follow their curiosity, and make more stuff.”

David Speed’s latest mural ‘Temporary Home’, created in collaboration with students, debuts at the University of Warwick as the culmination of his Retreat to Create Residency. Visit https://warwick.ac.uk for more information.