New mural to take shape at Sunderland's Millfield Metro station

Chad McCail’s work has been exhibited at galleries including MoMA in New York, as well as major venues in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

He has been commissioned by Metro operator Nexus, through Sunderland Culture, to produce a large-scale, community-led mural at Millfield Metro Station’s platform 2.

As part of the Metro 40 Takeover project, the mural will fill a 4m x 3m section of the entrance wall at the station.

Chad, originally from Manchester but now living in Scotland, has been working with two community groups: Pallion Action Group and Young Asian Voice (YAV).

The mural’s theme is community and the value of relationships. It will be in storyboard form, sprawling across the wall and telling a story in pictures.

Weather permitting, the mural will be installed at Millfield Metro Station over June and July.

Chad said: “While I was working in Sunderland it became apparent how much nostalgia there is for the industrial past and an understanding that there was then a more cohesive community life.

“In the story long dead miners and shipyard workers rise from their graves. They are shocked by what has become of their city and they inspire the residents to begin to create a better world.

“The story derives directly from my conversations with people during the consultation period; their hopes and fears for the future of the city. It is something of a morality tale but told with humour.

“The background, formed by the trees and bushes of the old graveyard, will make it colourful and attractive and the oddness and uplifting nature of the narrative should mean that it remains interesting to those who will be living with it.

“The mural is designed to work on several levels. It will be bright and visually appealing to look at, funny and positive in its message but representing the serious concerns of the people I spoke to in Sunderland.”

Jonathan Weston, curator of Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art for Sunderland Culture, said: “Chad worked with both groups for seven weeks, exploring their experiences of life in Sunderland and talking to them about their hopes for the future of the city.”