Facilitated by Christchurch City Council Leisure and funded by the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board, the artwork arose out of a competition at Linwood Intermediate in which students were asked to design a mural, reflecting what life/L.Y.F.E. meant to them. A design by 12-year-old Charlotte Buxton-Blue was selected by artist Patrice Aplin. She and Lesley McMillan are the project’s coordinators.

The word L.Y.F.E. is at the heart of the mural, surrounded by colourful images of skateboarding, music, nature, breakdancing, kite flying, fast food and the merging of cultures. To fit the 9m wall along the western side of the Linwood Tennis Clubrooms, the design was extended using Charlotte’s sun and clouds as a backing and parts of other student designs. The work was completed by groups of four young artists at a time.

Linwood Intermediate principal Richard Wisnesky said the mural is an example of the fantastic artwork coming out of the school. “Putting together a mural like this draws on so many skills,” says Patrice Aplin. To maximise its longevity, it has been painted with

two coats of housepaint and sprayed with an anti-graffiti coating. Thousands of young people saw the mural at the L.Y.F.E. Festival on Sunday, 3 November — the biggest annual youth event in Linwood.