Lalela, based in Cape Town & Kwa Zulu Natal, and recently launched in the Maboneng Precinct, provides educational arts to at risk youth, sparking creative thinking and awakening the entrepreneurial spirit. Lalela is involved in community-based arts education and leadership workshops aimed at the inner city communities of Johannesburg, challenged by the effects of poverty. As the implementing body of the artworks programme, The Trinity Session collaborated with the children of Lalela to design a ‘natural landscape’ for the pillars. This collaboration included a guided walk of the Melville Koppies, during which 40 children of 5- 18 years old were able to witness, photograph, and draw the unique indigenous flora of Johannesburg.

During a subsequent 3-day workshop, lead by Lalela facilitators, the children were able to experiment further with natural shapes and colours and the use of cut-outs and shadow-play to bring the Melville Koppies to life in the inner city.

In order to translate the design by the children to a near 200m2 mural, The Trinity Session approached a group of experienced inner-city muralists, namely Grayscale, a street art production studio whose name is synonymous with large scale graffiti and mural projects in Johannesburg. For the painting of the mural, Grayscale has paired renowned international artist, SoloOne to work alongside experienced local artists to realize the design.

On Thursday 24 September the children from Lalela joined the artists from Grayscale to place their unique mark across 8 pillars on Siemert Street in Doornfontein; including handprints and other additions, to the pillars.