DMA Science Stairwell Mural
During this misty October half term, Allan and I had the pleasure of creating another mural together. This time, we transformed the science stairwell at Downham Market Academy, painting two pioneering scientists: Albert Einstein and Dorothy Hodgkin.
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Allan focused on painting Einstein, while I took on Dorothy Hodgkin.​​​​​
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​I began the process by spending time sketching both figures in my sketchbook, getting to know their faces and familiarising myself with their features. I worked in coloured pencil and biro, exploring the shapes, proportions and details of their faces. These initial drawings gave me the opportunity to spend time with the subjects visually before translating them onto a much larger scale.
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When we arrived at Downham Market, our first job was preparing the space. We laid out dust sheets to protect the floors from the inevitable splashes and drips of paint. Lee, the school's friendly caretaker, then helped us get the scaffolding in place. It was only once everything was set up that we really took in the sheer scale of the space we had to cover.
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We began by projecting our subjects onto the walls. This allowed us to establish faint outlines of their features, giving us an excellent starting point for working at such a large scale.
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Once the figures were mapped out, we started playing with shapes and forms around them, using FrogTape to mark out and create different geometric shapes. This is always one of my favourite parts of the process. We get to build an abstract visual world around each figure, creating connections between the subjects and the space they occupy.
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The next four days were spent climbing up and down the scaffolding, painting and repainting the coloured shapes surrounding our figures. We repeatedly found ourselves saying, "I think that blue needs one more layer."
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When painting figures on such a large scale, it's easy to lose perspective. You're often painting so close to the wall that you can't quite see how everything is coming together. You have to scramble safely down the scaffolding, step back and take in what you've created before climbing back up to make the necessary adjustments. It's a constant process of looking, assessing and reworking.
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Our final day was the most stressful. We arrived knowing there was still so much to fix, refine and complete. We also had some ambitious ideas for adding contextual details to the figures, referencing their scientific contributions.
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​Allan painted E=mc² and an atomic symbol alongside Einstein, while I introduced concentric circular patterns around Hodgkin. These referenced her work using X-ray crystallography to understand molecular structures, including her groundbreaking research into penicillin.
The concentric circular patterns represent electron density contour maps, which were central to Hodgkin's work. She famously used two-dimensional representations of molecular structures to help visualise their complex three-dimensional forms. I loosely drew on this idea of the electron density contour maps to create the concentric patterns surrounding her portrait.
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It was a busy five days, filled with sketching, projecting, painting, repainting, plenty of coffee and lots of climbing up and down scaffolding. But it was incredibly rewarding to see the two figures come together and transform the stairwell into a space celebrating science, art and two remarkable scientists.
A huge thank you to Downham Market Academy for inviting us back to create another mural, and to Lee for all his help along the way. It was a pleasure to work together on this one.
