News / 30 Jun 2025
Mayor unveils mural by MA Creative Practice graduate
MA Creative Practice
MA Creative Practice graduate, Kieran Hadley of Third Eye Signs, brought the work of two young laureates to life as a poetic mural installation at West Village in Leeds. The mural was launched by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, in collaboration with Bruntwood SciTech and the West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureates programme (National Literacy Trust).
The West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureates programme was launched in 2023 in partnership with the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin and National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage. The initiative was designed to inspire and support the next generation of young poets in the region.
The programme included a week of poet-led school activities to encourage pupil’s creativity giving them a purpose and motivation to write poetry, and culminated in the appointment of the first ever Young Poet Laureates to represent West Yorkshire, Isabelle Walker and Alina Brdar.
The two young laureates were commissioned by Bruntwood SciTech to create unique pieces of poetry celebrating the newly refurbished spaces at West Village, Bruntwood SciTech’s flagship property in the heart of Leeds. Isabella’s poem has been transformed into the stunning mural in the courtyard at West Village by MA Creative practice alumni, Kieran Hadley, while Alina’s work can be seen inside in a framed piece of calligraphy.
"I started signwriting when I was teaching English, and doing a master's at Leeds Arts University. I wanted to make a giant resource for a poetry lesson I used to do using old laminate floor pieces. Strange circularity to ending up painting a 45m tall poem by a young person a decade later."
Kieran Hadley of Third Eye Signs, MA Creative Practice graduate
Kieran continued; "It’s lovely. There’s lots of other ways that you could have rendered it, and I think it’s sympathetic to a poem having the whole thing written. People respond to that."
"It’s really nice to see how big and massive it is! I really enjoy writing and where it takes me. I shall keep putting my poetry and work out there."
Isabelle Walker, Young Poet Laureate
"West Yorkshire is bursting with talent, and our Young Poet Laureate programme empowers young people to unleash their creativity. This partnership with the National Literacy Trust and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage is continuing to inspire and unlock opportunities for the next generation of writing talent. The poems of Isabelle and Alina, our region's first Young Poets Laureate, are now proudly displayed by Bruntwood SciTech at West Village in Leeds."
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin
The mural was opened on the 28 May 2025 by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin. The mural can be viewed at Bruntwood SciTech, West Village, Leeds and is open to the public.