PART OF THE RYE LANE MURALS PROJECT

Get It Done is excited to finally announce Seeds of Resistance: Our Collective Futures a new mural by Valeria Salinas Toro. Located outside Peckhamplex, their new mural draws on Peckham’s long-standing history of community action and grassroots organising to protect its cultural legacy. 

With a central image of children surrounded by vines of a wildflower meadow, the digital collage mural weaves together archival materials from Southwark Archives and real life photographs, highlighting key moments of local activism and communities uplifting one another; from The Wakefield Rent strikes to Livesey Exchange and cultural preservation of the Latin community. The mural highlights how local residents have repeatedly come together to stand up for both their rights, their neighbours, the future of Peckham and the legacy we will leave for the next generation.

This mural was created in collaboration with many grassroots organisations; including Making Numbers, USB Film, Peckham Vision, Livesey Exchange, The Rising Sun, Elimhouse, The Somerville, gIRLS aBOUT pECKHAM, No Price on Culture, Southwark Youth Parliament, SE15 Community Fund, Aylesham Community Action, Peckham Community Pride - and the many other neighbours, past and present, who continue to resist and reimagine Peckham’s future.

THE ARTIST

Growing up in Peckham in the early 2000s, Afro-Colombian artist and organiser Valeria Salinas Toro uses painting, digital media and cultural event production to imagine new worlds rooted in joy, culture, play and community.

“This has been an incredible journey to be a part of, to create a piece that is reflective of distinct challenges, time periods and landmarks, then translating it to acts of inspiration, strengthened in communities rather than the challenge itself.

Peckham is a treasure. Its riches are the people, the endless actions against oppression, mistreatment and dreams of a new reality shared and upheld with our neighbours. Peckham may be facing challenges, but it is only in our perseverance and support for one another that we will always maintain our cultural identity of resistance, rebellion and resilience

I felt the trust of my communities throughout the entire process, and the new ones I met along the way who shared so much knowledge, insight and reminded me of the strength of resistance and standing up for what is right.”

THE PROCESS 

What was fun (and challenging!) about producing these three murals is that they’re all completely different. Just as we’d mastered the art of a classic masonry paint mural — time to learn how to spray-paint from a cherry picker 5 metres in the air. And for the third? A curveball: a fully digital vinyl collage mural, wrapped like wallpaper and heat-wrapped straight onto the wall.

Thank god for Puck Studio, who showed up with a six-person team and installed Valeria’s 22-metre artwork in under a day. 

From the minute we started unrolling the vinyl, people were interested. Being outside Peckhamplex during the summer holidays meant a lot of curious kids and people passing by, stopping to ask questions and take a closer look.

It was clear that what Valeria’s mural does best is get people to pause; to absorb these layers of local history, recognise familiar spaces, and connect with messages of strength, resistance and joy. 

Rye Lane Murals