The road less travelled

Sean and Evelyn Duffell paint over old walls in preparation for this weekend’s Graffiato street art festival. Photo: Dan Hutchinson

Sean and Evelyn Duffell drove up from Wellington earlier this week to prepare for Graffiato. 

By Dan Hutchinson 

"We could see Ruapehu from Levin yesterday when we drove here," Sean says. "It looked like an iceberg." 

That was the view from 160km away and things have warmed up since then. This year, the street art festival brings all its artists into a single alleyway. 

It’s a deliberate shift Sean is using to build camaraderie and help nurture a new generation of mural makers. 

The laneway runs between Tūwharetoa St and Titiraupenga St, behind Plateau and beside the Red Cross store. 

"It'll be nice having everyone together. That's the biggest part, especially with people who haven't worked at the festival before. Everyone's kind of feeling a little bit more family," Sean says. 

All but two of this year's artists are first-time Graffiato participants, with Duffell actively recruiting fresh talent — including international artists from Australia and Ireland.  

Evelyn Duffell is from Chile, and they met during Sean’s arts residency there several years ago. The couple spent three months travelling New Zealand last summer before settling here four months ago. 

The Alleyway will have tables set up with merchandise and street food will be available. 

Sean says there is more value in the project than just art because it attracts people. 

"You get people walking through to see it, and then it stops a lot of rubbish and bad activity happening.” 

As for whether Duffell will pick up a brush himself this year — he's not ruling it out. "I'll be itching to paint, but I think I'll be helping out a lot of artists." 

The festival runs from 8am on Saturday until artists wrap up late Monday afternoon. 

Organisers say the entire community is encouraged and invited to come and have a look.