Dove of peace mural unveiling

It is with such excitement that after a three year project, I can share with you the Dove of Peace mural that brightens up the high street of Mutley Plain.

Encompassing the entirety of the Plymouth Quaker Meeting House, the mural is a testament to peace, and the power of local actions in making the places in which we live better for us all.

The mural, themed on peace, arrives at a time when the world can feel increasingly divided and uncertain, and there is a need to offer moments of tranquillity, and hope. This mural hopes to display, that despite narratives of division, people can come together as a community to make positive change in the places in which we live. Its design is simple to reflect the simplicity of its message, that creating a more peaceful world begins with the ways we live, connect and care for one another in our own communities.

Dove of peace mural

Designed by Devon Tipping, of Community in print, and painted by Mrs Murals

Plymouth Meeting House before the mural

The design journey

Plymouth Quakers wanted a mural designed themed on peace. It is easier to talk about peace as an aspiration, as living through a period of war, political division, climate anxiety and uncertainty can make action feel a challenge. So how do you turn something as complex and intangible as the idea of peace into an image on the side of a building, that speaks to Quakers and non-Quakers alike?

I held a series of illustrative workshops with the meeting, a chance of us to gather and reflect on each testimony, this provided the foundation to discern what each of the testimonies mean to each of us, and how that might be reflected within a mural. These images and words then inspired the initial designs.

For this project, the mural became an opportunity to explore what a visual expression of peace might mean in a busy public space, and I focused as much on what I wanted someone to feel when looking at the mural, as the overt symbolism of the images used. Word like vibrant, tranquil, hopeful was the underlying tone that I wanted the illustration to communicate, which led to the bright and calm blue background, and the feature of the sweeping light across the building, to compliment the more overt peace imagery of the dove and poppies.

How I hope the mural impacts the local community

This mural, by being such a visible testament to peace, feels particularly important now, and particularly within Plymouth. Plymouth is a military city, and one that has recently seen billions of pounds of investment by the military of defence into the city, especially around nuclear weapons. This mural helps to balance out this discussion. With an increasingly militarised city, it is more important than ever to offer a public visible discussion of peace, that can speak to these events.

From an even more localised perspective, beyond the wider discussions across the city, this mural can also change the language of the city itself. Plymouth Meeting House is situated on the main high street of Mutley Plain, of which two common reference points for directions are the Hyde Park Pub or the local Bargain Booze shop, of which the meeting house sits adjacent and next to. The mural, then has the opportunity to be a new reference point. Rather than saying, ‘go left at the pub’, you can now say, ‘go left after the painting of the dove’, or ‘you know you’ve gone to far when you see the dove of peace’. This subtly changes the local language of the place, to one centred around peace, opening up discussions on what peace is and how we can cultivate it within our lives and society.

This project has been a long project with many many hours, design revisions, meetings, project approvals, and so I really hope you like it. As always I would love to hear what you think!

And now a chance for you to celebrate this mural with me, on the 5th September! Come down to the meeting house and see the mural for yourself, 10.30am-12noon, plus there will be tea and cake! Simply turn up at Plymouth Quaker House, Hyde Park House, 74 Mutley Plain, Mutley, Plymouth PL4 6LF.