09 Jan Ingrid – Behind The Walls –
Dulwich, the old-fashioned borough of South East London, well known for its million pound mansions, millponds and golf courses, it’s also the most unusual location for something you could rather picture into the hipster corners of Brick Lane and Hackney: a real street art gallery.
street art wall in Dulwich
Walking down the Village’s peculiar streets,
you will certainly come across some fine pieces of work from the world best known street artists, dotted around to form The Dulwich Outdoor Gallery.
This is a project imagined in 2014 (and recently concluded) by the cutting-edge mind of a woman: Ingrid Beazley.
Although she initially presents herself with a puny, somehow fragile figure, a more determined attitude is well hidden behind.
Ingrid spent her childhood in Tanzania, East Africa, where her dad was working as a doctor, and probably during those years she developed her love for art and different cultures.
Almost adolescent she moved back to England with her family and decided, a few years later, to study a degree in History of Arts and Psychology at St. Andrews University. A master in Education is what leaded to her true vocation: teaching and helping others.
For more than 13 years, Ingrid has worked in the education department of Dulwich Picture Gallery, teaching and giving lectures to people of any age. Meantime she created DiGit, a form of interactive interpretation using palm top computers, currently in use at DPG. Ingrid describes it as “one of the most exciting project so far, this PDA Trails form of learning introduced people to paintings for the first time in an active way; it’s funny, makes you laugh and inspires you”.
Inspiration. This is what she seeks in daily life. And what she found again in 2012 after a meeting with the street artist Stik.
Work by Stik in Dulwich
Looking for a way to attract more audience, she asked the artist to reproduce the Old Masters inside the gallery around the city walls in his unique and widely appreciated style.
One small idea became soon a bigger project, involving Richard Howard Griffin from Street Art London and a group of famous artists from around the world. Everyone picked a favourite painting and reproduced it with a different perspective. The result is a permanent collection of best works never realized before and much acclaimed from the public.
Today Ingrid is a happy grandmother, co-founder and editor of Dulwich On View, least but probably not last project of a successful career.
Ingrid during her book presentation few years ago
Dulwich On View is a community-based blog about people and culture of Dulwich and surroundings, awarded Best Small Site in 2010 in an international competition in Denver, Colorado.
So much going on, but when you look at her eyes you can clearly spot that insatiable appetite for life.
I asked if there was a secret. “Do the things you love, do them to the fullest” – she said – you’ll never get tired and you’ll definitely succeed”.
