Florida Road kiosk transformed by Durban street artist
Shaun Oakley, aka The Damn Vandal, has transformed the Florida Road Park kiosk.
THE Gordon Road Park kiosk at the intersection of Florida Road, has been transformed by Durban street artist and Florida Road local, Shaun Oakley, aka The Damn Vandal.
Shaun has applied his signature street art skills to a mural commissioned by the Florida Road Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) and has turned the kiosk, which is used by Metro Police as a satellite police station during the day, into something which has brightened up the park.
This small but significant project is part of the UIP’s mandate to rejuvenate Florida Road through the management of public open space.
“The main aim of the UIP is to manage public open space and make visible changes to the road via cleaning, maintenance, security services and special projects, and this mural is a significant step in not only dealing with aesthetics but in taking pride and ownership of the road,” said Florida Road precinct manager, Jarrod Evans.
The Damn Vandal started working on the mural on Friday night 24 June, and completed the work in time for the Vodacom Durban July.
Shaun is a Durban graphic designer by trade and a street artist by passion. His love for Durban and Florida Road is expressed in his work. While Shaun was given license to apply his creativity to the final mural, the art work talks to a combination of local touch points.
The history of the road as central route through Durban, is a significant one, from it being a well-worn elephant track that took the animals on their daily trek for water from the top of Berea down to the Greyville Marsh (now part of Royal Durban Golf Course), to the road being the route for the first municipal tramline in South Africa, laid in 1892. The architecture and high street feel of Florida Road is also recognised in the mural.
In February this year, the eThekwini Municipality’s Parks department together with Metro Police and the UIP set up the park kiosk as a joint community service office for the road. The dedicated Florida Road Metro Police officers are currently based here and over time it is hoped that this kiosk will be used for tourist information as well as for a dedicated UIP representative.
“The Gordon Road Park kiosk has become a great community asset with so much potential for the future, and we thank City Parks for allowing the UIP to liven it up with the mural,” said Evans.
