New Legal Graffiti Wall Opens for Artists in the South of the City

Anyone who's spent time exploring Aberdeen knows those special spots - the handful of legal walls where spray cans rattle freely and artists gather to make their mark. These rare spaces have become creative hubs, where graffiti writers and street artists can practice their craft. But they're not exactly around every corner. That's why we're buzzing that Aberdeen has a new legal wall.

Last weekend, many of Aberdeen’s street art figures gathered to launch Altens Legal Wall, the first legal wall south of the River Dee. The launch, hosted by Outlines Collective, was a great success, and the wall is now available for anyone looking to try graffiti for themselves.

Outlines Collective, a group of graffiti and street artists led by Kirsty Lawie and Naomi Christie, is known for bringing vibrant spray paint projects to Aberdeen. From schools to public workshops, they share their knowledge and passion for street art with the community. Look out for them at local graffiti jams, where they welcome both newcomers and seasoned artists to celebrate the scene.

We caught up with Kirsty to hear more about the wall’s launch and what this new addition means for Aberdeen’s art community.

What sparked the idea to bring a legal graffiti wall to Altens, and how do you think this space will impact the local community? Did you have a specific moment or interaction that confirmed Altens as the right location?

We deliver workshops all over the city, and it is a little bit frustrating when a young person asks where they can go to paint again or see more artists at work because the only safe spaces are in the George Street area. We ran a workshop at the Denis Law Family Fun Day in Torry where we painted three huge canvases and asked some of the families who came down if they would be interested in a local legal wall.

Everyone was overwhelmingly supportive and keen for a space where anyone can spend time and get creative. So, when we found this opportunity to develop a legal wall in Altens, it was exciting because it meant we could offer people locally the chance to experience what a legal wall can offer without having to travel so far.

Distance is a real barrier for the people we have been working with recently so we are excited that we can now tell people about more sites. This opportunity is a great testing ground to show how a legal wall could operate and how public art spaces can be used.

In your view, why is it essential to have designated legal spaces for graffiti in Aberdeen? How do these spaces contribute to the local arts scene and the wider community?

Legal walls provide so much: they are a safe space for people to express themselves and experiment creatively without legal repercussions; they are a playground for improving creative skills and growing as an artist; and they enhance the cultural opportunities in the local area, allowing people to try new artforms and meet other artists.

The legal walls already in place have really proved this - we wouldn’t have been able to make Outlines Collective happen without the facilities at Sunnybank Park allowing us to develop artistically, mentor young people, and meet other artists in a safe space. Plus, the two existing spaces are really busy and popular and it is a growing scene in Aberdeen so the more walls we have, the more opportunities there are for artists, jams and events.

As this appears to be the first legal graffiti wall set within an industrial estate, have you received any support from local businesses? What role have nearby organisations played in helping bring this project to life, and how are you looking to build relationships in the area?

The wall is near the perimeter of the new Energy Transition Skills Hub under construction in Altens, next door to the NESCol campus on Hareness Road. The building contractor have made the boards available for us to facilitate the project, which has been great.

ETZ Ltd funded us to commission artists for the launch event and run four workshops for local groups. We are also working with NESCol to encourage students at their city campuses to come and enjoy the space.

We hope the other businesses in the area like the project and are keen to learn more about our artists and what we do, as this is an initiative that can really grow.

What role do you believe graffiti and street art play within Aberdeen's wider creative culture? How does the presence of legal graffiti walls contribute to the city’s artistic landscape, and in what ways might it help engage those who aren’t always connected to traditional art spaces?

Graffiti is a great medium for large-scale art interventions and has a rich history as an outsider art form and the artists we have commissioned are all operating at a high standard. We have also seen from international examples like Bristol, New York, Barcelona etc how graffiti culture goes hand in hand with music, dance, poetry, other visual artforms, etc, not to mention contributing to their respective economies through investment, tourism and innovation.

These factors combine to empower the arts scene in Aberdeen - artist interventions, youth work and mentorship, high quality installations with international appeal. Most importantly to us, graffiti inspires people who might be excluded, socially, economically or geographically, from ‘traditional’ art spaces. That is why we are so glad to be working in Torry and Altens, an area with community, skills and enthusiasm, but underserved by existing legal wall provision.

The funding for this project also allows us to run more workshops after the launch event. A legal wall is open to everyone and we will host a series of workshops with community groups, supporting vulnerable and at-risk young people and creating art which platforms unheard voices.

The workshops will support participants, who aren’t always able to access projects like this, to use the legal wall, engage creatively and link them with our artists and their expertise.

What were some of the key challenges in bringing this legal graffiti wall to life? Were there any specific obstacles, such as funding or finding the right location, that you had to navigate along the way?

As ever in arts, funding is a barrier - on the surface it seems legal walls are free but there are actually lots of hidden costs such as building the infrastructure, making it safe, and even promoting the space or having a launch event, so we are delighted to have the costs of this project met by ETZ Ltd.

Finding a space can also be an issue: we have wanted to expand the number of legal walls in Aberdeen for a while but have found it difficult to find spaces which are suited to being art spaces and where the site owner is open to the project.

The Energy Transition Skills Hub has been great as our vision for a legal wall as a place for creative innovation really aligns with the aims of this development in upskilling people in the area.

I was really disappointed to miss the launch day! Life sometimes gets in the way, doesn’t it? Could you tell me about what was on offer and what the atmosphere was like? What did attendees get to experience and take away from the day?

We held some ‘scribble sessions’ workshops which meant there was no experience necessary to take part, just an enthusiasm to try something new!

We also commissioned six artists to paint on the day, showcasing their skills and producing new creative work. They are all from Aberdeen and the group is a great example of the high level of artistic work coming out of the city. Members of the public came along to watch them paint and see the creative process unfold.

We also used the day as an opportunity for people to learn more about the project and for us to find out about opportunities for street art in Torry and Altens.

We hope people left new skills in spray painting and felt inspired to come back and try again. Our artists gained a few more Instagram followers and possible opportunities for more work!

What do you envision for the future of this site? Are there any hopes or plans for expanding the project to other locations if this wall gains strong community support?

In the future, we hope more artists come and paint the wall and keep it alive. If this wall is a success then we will be able to expand the project, building legal walls in other locations - but that all depends on support from the community.