A street artist who has painted murals of Marcus Rashford, Sir Captain Tom Moore and David Bowie, has set his sights on a wall in Hackney, to pay tribute to The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint.
Manchester artist Akse P19 is working with music and mental wellbeing festival Headstock to pay homage to the Firestarter vocalist, and raise awareness for mental health support services.
The new artwork will be in Beechwood Road in Dalston – a short walk away from the site of the old Four Aces club where The Prodigy played their first gig.
Keith Flint was found dead at his home in 2019, with an inquest recording an open conclusion about the circumstances.
Founder of Headstock Atheer Al-Salim said: "Keith Flint was one of the most innovative and influential music artists of his generation but, like many of us, he struggled with his mental health and tragically took his own life.
"The purpose of this mural is to remember Keith and celebrate his life, but also to raise awareness of mental health text support service, Shout 85258 and the critical work that their volunteers do 24/7. If the mural helps just one person that sees it, then the project will have been a success.”
The festival teamed up with Akse P19 last year ahead of its Headstock Weekender event on World Mental Health Day. It commissioned the artist to create a mural of Joy Division's Ian Curtis who took his life at the age of 23 in 1980.
The mural was created to raise awareness of the text support service, Shout 85258, and the charity’s logo and number feature prominently on the artwork.
The artwork, which is located in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, was unveiled by Curtis’s former Joy Division bandmate Peter Hook.
A year on, Headstock is working with Akse P19 again to create the mural of Keith Flint.
It is being created in time for World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, 2021.
A crowdfunder was set up to fund the mural, with a target of £12,500 needed to be pledged by August 31.
To support the project visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/keith-flint-mural
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