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More than a Wall
More than a Wall
Content
Is graffiti always vandalism?
What if a painting on a wall could make people stop, smile, think, or even start a conversation?
Banksy, Love is in the Air. Source: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/contemporary-art-evening-auction/love-is-in-the-air-2?locale=en
Every day we walk past walls, buildings and empty spaces without noticing them. But artists see something different—they see stories waiting to be told.
Street art is much more than colourful murals or graffiti. It can celebrate local history, bring neighbours together, brighten forgotten places and inspire people to see their surroundings differently.
In this interactive playlist you'll discover how artists transform ordinary spaces into meaningful places through videos, creative challenges, games and real-world activities.
You'll learn how to:
- discover different forms of street art
- understand the message behind murals
- observe your surroundings with fresh eyes
- create your own visual story
- explore how art can connect people and communities
By the end of this playlist, you won't just look at walls—you'll look at your whole neighbourhood differently.
This activity was inspired by the PASS – Pass the Street (Art), Shake the Hand, which explores street art, creativity, community engagement, and the skills needed to develop and promote artistic projects. If you'd like to continue your learning, discover more topics including mural design, artistic techniques, community collaboration, digital storytelling, project management, and funding opportunities for street artists.
Explore the PASS project and Curriculum: https://pass-streetart.org/curriculum/2-you-as-a-street-artist-2/
Who created this resource?
The PASS – Pass the Street (Art), Shake the Hand project is a European cooperation initiative promoting social inclusion, intercultural dialogue, and active citizenship through street art and participatory cultural activities. The project was implemented by Connect International (Belgium), TiPovej! Institute (Slovenia), Mladi zmaji Public Institute (Slovenia), Association BUM (Serbia), and Interkultura (North Macedonia), and was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
The playlist was created by TiPovej! Institute as a follow-up educational resource to extend the project's impact beyond the project activities. It provides freely accessible learning materials that showcase the PASS methodology, inspire reflection on the role of street art in building inclusive communities, and support youth workers, educators, artists, and community practitioners in adapting similar participatory approaches in their own work.
Activities to complete
Complete the following activities, earn badges and you will see your playlist progress updated
Content
Look carefully at the three pixelated images (A, B, and C) below. Each one shows a famous street artwork, but the details have been hidden.
Your challenge is simple. For each image, write down:
- What is the name of the artwork? (if you know it)
- Who is the artist?
Don't worry if you're unsure—take your best guess!
After you've submitted your answers, reveal the original images and see how many you identified correctly.
Write your answers under Task 1.
Imagine walking through an old industrial area filled with empty factory buildings and grey concrete walls. Would you expect to find one of the largest open-air street art galleries in the Baltic States?
That is exactly what happened in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 2016, the former ELFA electrical engineering factory—once one of the city's busiest industrial sites—began a remarkable transformation. Instead of demolishing the old factory buildings, artists, cultural organisations, and local partners turned the area into Open Gallery, a free outdoor gallery where factory walls became giant canvases for street artists from Lithuania and around the world. Today, the gallery features more than 50 murals, large-scale sculptures, and light installations, with new artworks added every year.
But the transformation didn't stop with the artwork. As more visitors discovered the area, new creative spaces began to grow around it. Former factory buildings were transformed into concert venues, cafés, restaurants, cultural spaces, and creative businesses, giving the neighbourhood a completely new identity. Places such as Loftas Art Factory and the ELFA Gastro Bar have become popular meeting points where people gather to enjoy music, exhibitions, food, and community events. What was once an abandoned industrial zone is now a vibrant destination for both residents and visitors.
Open Gallery demonstrates that street art is not only about painting walls—it can inspire the regeneration of entire neighbourhoods, attract creativity, and encourage people to experience familiar places in new ways.
Write your answers under Task 2.
- Why do you think artists chose to transform an old factory instead of creating a gallery in a new building?
- Besides murals, what other changes helped bring new life to this neighbourhood?
- How do cafés, music venues, and public events contribute to making a place more welcoming?
- Is there an abandoned or underused place in your town that could become a creative space? Describe your idea.
- If you could add one new feature to Open Gallery, what would it be and why?
Transformation Detective
Search on the internet and look at the photos of Open Gallery before and after its transformation. Identify at least five changes that made the area more attractive.
Think about:
- What attracts visitors?
- What encourages people to stay longer?
- Which changes are artistic?
- Which changes are social?
- Which change do you think had the biggest impact on transforming the neighbourhood? Explain your answer.
BITE of Art – Where Creativity Meets Innovation
BITE of Art is an international Creative Europe project that helps artists and cultural organizations explore new ways of creating, presenting, and promoting contemporary art. The project brings together partners from Belgium, Serbia, Slovenia, and Spain to make art more accessible, engaging, and relevant for young audiences.
What makes BITE of Art unique is that it combines art, technology, entrepreneurship, and education. Instead of focusing only on creating artworks, the project helps artists develop practical skills such as digital marketing, communication, project management, audience engagement, and the use of innovative technologies. These skills enable artists to reach wider audiences and build sustainable creative careers.
The project also explores how technology can transform the way people experience art. Through virtual galleries, mobile applications, digital exhibitions, 360° virtual tours, and interactive artistic events, BITE of Art encourages people to engage with contemporary art both in physical spaces and online.
A key part of the initiative is supporting emerging artists. Through international open calls, mentoring, workshops, festivals, and exhibitions, young creators have the opportunity to develop new socially engaged artworks, collaborate with experienced professionals, and present their work to international audiences.
To find out more about the BITE exhibitions, download the free BITE of Art app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store, learn more here https://biteofart.org/
Explore Inspiring Community Art Projects
Street art is more than murals—it is a way to bring people together, share stories, and transform public spaces into places of creativity and dialogue. Around the world, artists collaborate with local communities to create projects that celebrate identity, encourage participation, and strengthen connections between people.
The following projects by artist duo Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy demonstrate how art can give a voice to communities, turn personal stories into shared experiences, and inspire new ways of thinking about belonging, home, and public space. Explore the websites, watch the videos, and discover how creative collaboration can transform both places and the people who live in them.
We Are Here (2022)
Project Dossier: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VNjtUnP2hr8EzgVhTQz7YxvsOq1sjKBc/view?usp=sharing
We Are Here is a participatory art project that explores themes of identity, belonging, and community through storytelling and public participation. By bringing together people with different backgrounds and experiences, the project creates opportunities for dialogue and encourages participants to reflect on what it means to feel at home.
News From Home – Plovdiv (2022)
This edition of News From Home was developed in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, where local residents shared personal stories and memories connected to the idea of home. Through interviews, artistic interventions, and community participation, the project transforms individual experiences into a collective public artwork.
News From Home – Mondovì (2023)
Created in Mondovì, Italy, this project invited residents to share stories about their lives, memories, and connections to the city. Through artistic collaboration, these personal narratives became part of a public dialogue, demonstrating how art can strengthen community identity and encourage intercultural understanding.
La Festa dei Nojesi (2023)
La Festa dei Nojesi is a community-based artistic celebration that brings together local traditions, performances, and public participation. By involving residents in the creative process, the project transforms everyday public spaces into places of celebration, creativity, and shared cultural experiences.
News From Home – Kaohsiung (2024)
Developed in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this edition of News From Home explores how personal stories can build connections across cultures. Through conversations, community engagement, and artistic expression, participants reflect on the meaning of home, belonging, and identity while creating a shared experience through public art.
Get activity badge
Creative designer Get this badge
Congratulations! You have successfully completed Transform the Space and earned the Creative designer badge. By completing this activity, you explored how street art can breathe new life into neglected places and transform them into vibrant spaces where people meet, create, and connect.
By earning this badge, you demonstrated your ability to:
- recognize iconic street artworks and the artists behind them,
- understand how public art can transform urban environments,
- explore a real-world example of successful urban regeneration,
- analyse the artistic, cultural, and social elements that make public spaces more attractive,
- identify how creativity can encourage people to rediscover and enjoy their surroundings,
- and reflect on how underused spaces in your own community could be reimagined through art.
Through visual challenges, case studies, and investigative tasks, you discovered that transforming a place is about more than painting walls—it is about creating spaces where people want to gather, explore, and feel inspired.
As a Creative designer, you are ready to see the hidden potential in everyday places and imagine how creativity can turn empty spaces into living communities.
You have to finish all tasks to get the badge
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Task 1. Can you guess the artwork
Look carefully at the three pixelated images (A, B, and C) below. Each one shows a famous street artwork, but the details have been hidden.
Write down your answers for A, B and C.
Task no.2
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Task 2. CAN STREET ART BRING A FORGOTTEN PLACE BACK TO LIFE?
Write your answer:
- Why do you think artists chose to transform an old factory instead of creating a gallery in a new building?
- Besides murals, what other changes helped bring new life to this neighbourhood?
- How do cafés, music venues, and public events contribute to making a place more welcoming?
- Is there an abandoned or underused place in your town that could become a creative space? Describe your idea.
- If you could add one new feature to Open Gallery, what would it be and why?
Task no.3
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
Task 3. Transformation Detective
Search on internet and look at the photos of Open Gallery before and after its transformation. Identify at least five changes that made the area more attractive.
Think about:
- What attracts visitors?
- What encourages people to stay longer?
- Which changes are artistic?
- Which changes are social?
- Which change do you think had the biggest impact on transforming the neighbourhood?
Explain your answer.
Activities: 3
Started: 1
Completed playlist: 0
Time to complete: 2 hours 15 minutes
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