Teacher's artistic protest at struggle to find work

AN art teacher dressed as a council worker to create a mural to protest about his struggle to find work.

Scott Buchanan Barden, 39, qualified as a teacher two years ago but says he has been unable to find a job because of Government cuts.

He has created a 40-metre by four-metre mural commemorating the Bristol riots of 1831.

The riots took place after the House of Lords rejected the second Reform Bill, which aimed to get rid of some of the rotten boroughs and give Britain's fast growing industrial towns such as Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford and Leeds greater representation in the House of Commons.

Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk

myprint-247

View details

Print voucher

Our heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.

Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk

Contact: 01858 468192

Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013

Mr Buchanan Barden, of Montrose Park, Brislington, painted the mural opposite the Paintworks on Bath Road, taking almost two months to complete it.

He said: "I did it by dressing up as a council worker with a hard hat on.

"I started in March and I would go down a couple times a week and I finished it at the end of April.

"No one tried to stop me.

"I'm a qualified teacher but have struggled to find work and this is a protest against that.

"At the moment I'm earning a living through cleaning but I hope to make money though my artwork or by getting back into teaching.

"It would be nice if the mural stays there for a while, there's nothing happening to the site at the moment.

"If something did happen at the site maybe I could negotiate to keep it there.

"It is very much my own style but it is a very serious subject.

"I think it is relevant today because of all the protests going on and I plan to do more and I'm already working on two other projects.

"One is about the slave trade and the other about the Stokes Croft anti Tesco riots.

"The feedback I have had from museum people, architects and the general public has been positive."