Grafton to get spectacular makeover

The Grafton car park on Worthing seafront is about to get a spectacular makeover with top artists set to transform its appearance.

A dramatic splash of colour will turn the car park into a cutting edge work of art using large scale patterns, graphic and words. The work, which will take a week, will be a slow reveal with the words on the building becoming clear towards the end of the project.

Backed by Worthing Borough Council the ambitious project, the largest art work seen in the town for years, is the brainchild of local firm ECE Architecture which was behind two previous groundbreaking works of art on Worthing beach.

In 2015 Mirrored Beach Hut and Doorways last year earned rave reviews.

Now the team behind those projects ECE and award-winning agency Creativity Forager is going one step further. They promise a dazzling riot of bright colour and bold pattern, code-named Supergraphics, in a space that is now just grey concrete.

Acclaimed street artist Ricky Also has produced the artwork to represent the powerful creative energy that exists in Worthing.

The artists will use an hydraulic platform to create their artwork with spray paint and graphics.

Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Councillorr Kevin Jenkins said:” I’m excited to see this work as it progresses. Worthing is becoming a brilliant mix of the traditional and the innovative and I’m sure this will bring a wow factor to the seafront.”

Stuart Eatock, managing director of ECE, said: “This is the third installation we’ve embarked on for Worthing and this year we wanted to challenge ourselves to deliver something bigger and better than ever, showcasing our creativity and taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary."

Mark Sephton, creative director of Creative Forager, said: “For the last two years, we've been blown away by how positively the people of Worthing have received our projects, so we thought we'd give them something even bigger and bolder this time!"

In keeping with the seafront theme bold stripes of colours similar to deckchairs and other beach items that can be bought on the seafront will figure and the colours will reflect the new branding of the council’s Discover Worthing tourism initiative. It is proposed the artwork stays for the summer months until the end of September.

The cost of the £14,000 installation has been met jointly by Worthing Borough Council and ECE, an architecture and town planning practice with offices in Goring Road, Worthing, London and Bristol.