Unveiled - Archaeology of a Wall

Street art and graffiti are inherently transient art forms, created for, and experienced in, the public realm. Walls become living canvases, constantly evolving as one artist's work makes way for the next. Every new mural both replaces and preserves what came before, creating an unseen archive embedded within the surface itself. Our studio has been based in Shoreditch for over a decade, an area synonymous with street art and graffiti, where walls are constantly repainted, reimagined and reclaimed. Working within this ever-changing landscape has fundamentally shaped our practice. Here, the history of a wall is never erased, only concealed. Beneath every fresh layer of paint are fragments of previous artworks, each contributing to a rich but invisible visual history. One of the questions we're asked most often while painting murals is, "How many layers of paint do you think there are under this one?" It's a simple question, but one that reveals something fundamental about our practice. This installation explores that hidden visual history. Inspired by archaeological techniques used to reveal lost paintings and frescoes, we imagine what would happen if the accumulated layers within a Shoreditch wall could be peeled apart and viewed simultaneously. Rather than uncovering a single artwork, we reveal the succession of many, giving physical form to the invisible accumulation of painted work in both an act of discovery and a process of reconstruction. Celebrating fifteen years of JOY! Collective, we have invited artists who have helped shape our journey to each paint onto a translucent surface, creating individual works suspended sequentially in space. As visitors move around the installation, the layers overlap, separate and recombine, allowing every painting to remain visible at once. Together they form a new collective image and create an evolving dialogue between artists and histories. Lighting plays a central role in revealing this hidden world. Rather than simply illuminating the installation, it becomes an active part of the artwork itself. Collaborating with lighting designer Francis Albrecht of By Ember Light, the installation is brought to life through a carefully choreographed sequence. Moving across the layered surfaces, the light catches textures, reveals concealed details, and allows paintings to emerge and recede as the viewer moves through the space. Like an archaeologist uncovering traces beneath centuries of history, light becomes a tool of discovery, transforming the installation into an ever-changing experience where no two viewpoints are the same. The installation transforms an everyday reality of mural making into a shared physical experience, celebrating the temporary nature of street art while making its hidden layers visible. It invites audiences to reconsider the walls they pass every day, not as static surfaces, but as living records of creative expression, memory and time.