Artists Darren Stenhouse, Lewis Austin and David Tovey

MOSAICS, paintings and sculpture lined the walls of an arts centre celebrating the creativity of the homeless.

Recently the Old Diorama Arts Centre has been devoted to art workshops for those who are homeless or precariously housed – the end product of which was displayed in an exhibition on Saturday 28th Jan.

“I remember when I had my first picture put up on a wall. It made me feel great, because I was an artist, not a homeless person. And that’s all we’re trying to achieve with this,” said festival founder and artist David Tovey, who himself has experience of homelessness.

“I’m not trying to change people’s lives. Yes, change the general public’s perception – but I wanted people to say: you’re an artist. You deserve to be recognised as an artist. You may be living on the streets, but that doesn’t matter.”

Artist Daren Stenhouse, who has run a wire sculpting workshop over the course of the festival, makes elaborate sculptures from found objects in the street.

“I’ve been doing it 20 years now – I’ve been doing it since I’ve been on the streets to finance myself. Instead of just begging and asking for money, I’d utilise what I find around me,” he said.

Mr Stenhouse said of the festival: “You can’t give people a house, but you can provide people with the pathway to a house. This is a space where people can start working for themselves. It allows them to help themselves.”