A lot of my work is really about themes that are relevant to communities and society as a whole. Something that鈥檚 going to benefit people and that鈥檚 what really drives me. That鈥檚 why I do what I do.
Over a period of around ten years or so I鈥檝e probably painted around 20, 25 murals in the city.
This area here is inner city Birmingham. So I鈥檓 brightening up the places so that, bringing a bit of colour because let鈥檚 face it in our environments where we live, you know, there鈥檚 some grimy old places and grimy old walls that need a bit of uplifting.
Here鈥檚 one of the recent walls I鈥檝e painted actually. You can see it just here. And this one reads 鈥淲ho controls the past controls the future鈥.
Turning up at a spa and seeing kids looking at the wall or I might turn up and then they might come along and say, oh you did this wall. You know, hearing how they respond is what it鈥檚 about for me.
This is a kind of a mock-up of what we鈥檙e doing. There鈥檚 a huge wall you鈥檒l see. And I paint all that black, I do a circle in the middle and it鈥檚 pretty much just the design. It鈥檚 just an experimental thing because sometimes you just want a bit of freedom to just explore a little bit and just practice, if you like.
So the chap from this grocery stall here has been saying to me for years, come and do something up there.
Every wall I paint on, I always have permission from the people who own the building. It鈥檚 common sense.
Let鈥檚 make a dot there first. Say here, yeah.
It鈥檚 like using a giant compass I suppose. Like you鈥檇 use in maths. Let鈥榮 have look at that.
Not a bad circle man. Ecstatic.
Jordan:
There鈥檚 a stigma with a lot of graffiti so it鈥檚 nice to kind of break that mould really.
Mohammed:
Jordan鈥檚 someone who I鈥檝e known for about ten years, since he was a student. I鈥檝e seen him grow over the years. Working on a large-scale project having someone to support you is necessary. Did Stephen Spielberg makes films by himself or did he have, you know, massive crews to realise the vision.
Oh man you鈥檝e gone outside the line big time.
Jordan:
Yeah, that鈥檚 what I mean.
Mohammed:
Oh man. I think best way to hit that now.
Jordan:
I鈥檒l tidy it up a little.
Mohammed:
It鈥檚 just probably best to go like. There, that鈥檚 probably鈥 extend it a bit so it kind of comes there.
Jordan probably misjudged the line and gone out a bit. It鈥檚 not a big deal because we just redraw the lines again鈥 I never mistakes as something which is a negative thing. In fact, it can be something that is liberating and it鈥檚 part of being a human being.
If you want it to be nice and easy then this is the wrong game, you know. As a graffiti artist, it really is a kind of an adventure if you like of trying to transform a building. And that鈥檚 going to require some effort. So it鈥檚 not easy. It鈥檚 not the same as designing something on a computer and printing it out. And, you know, and then you sitting back and letting it all happen. But you鈥檝e kind of got to get a bit messy in the process.
I make a living from being a street artist by working with organisations and individuals who want space transformed. And they pay me to do that.
You have to be very organised and conscious not to put yourself in danger. Health and Safety is very important when working.
As an artist people ask me how long did that piece take. It might have taken five days to make. The reality is, it鈥檚 probably taken 20 years to make that, of digesting, of learning, of trying something out. Experimenting and shaping and crafting.
I wanted to paint an image of Birmingham, the spirit of a big city, of its industry. It is a place of opportunity. This painting, it kind of alludes to that industrial history.
Art was all I knew to be honest.
Obviously my parents, pretty sure they鈥檇 want me to have excelled in, you know, medicine or become an accountant or something. But creativity is what I knew and that鈥檚 the language that I was鈥 I think, was born with.
Video summary
Mohammed Ali is a street-artist from Birmingham who receives commissions to create murals that decorate the city.
Mohammed used aerosol paints, and bases his designs on aspects of his life and experience.
He talks about what inspired him to become an artist 鈥 rather than an accountant or doctor, as his parents might at one time have preferred 鈥 and the process of being an artist, which includes trial and error.
He says he was born with the language of creativity.
He bases his work on themes that are relevant to society as a whole and is committed to try improve people鈥檚 lives with his Art.
Teacher Notes
Invite pupils to produce a relevant design for a wall mural.
This could be a wall on the school site or they could be asked to select a possible location from their local environment.
This would be a good homework task and they could be asked to photograph possible locations.
The teacher could set a specific theme for the design or provide them with a more open brief.
The pupils could create a series of drawings, beginning with sketches that demonstrate their research into the theme, before creating a more realised design in colour.
Students should be made aware that permission from the owner is needed to paint on buildings and the health and safety implications of painting outside in public spaces.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Art and Design at KS3 in England and Northern Ireland, KS3 and GCSE in Wales and 2nd, 3rd and 4th Level in Scotland.
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