Cobolt Collective talk about Thinking Out Loud

How did the design for the mural come about?

Cobolt Collective: It is clear to us that V&A Dundee is Thinking Out Loud with their audiences. They are on a journey of communication, a journey of decolonisation, a journey of connecting with the outdoor public spaces, and a journey of amplifying voices within the community. Therefore, we wanted to try and visualise these concepts within our design for the mural with the message 'Thinking Out Loud' at the core.

When discussing potential ideas for this project, the Olympia swimming pool kept coming up in our conversations. Our design uses the shape of the flume to represent a journey of exploratory communication within the space. The woman in the top left corner shouting THINKING OUT LOUD into the flume references iconic constructivist Soviet propaganda posters, but also mirrors the action of the woman depicted in the original mural at the Olympia swimming pool.

We intend for the mural to have a powerful lasting impact on the community, helping them to feel more connected to the space.

We have taken inspiration from a wealth of rich archival material of the old Olympia swimming pool. The colour palette used within the design is lifted from the bright and lively colours found in these images. The type design is linked to the use of tiles throughout the pool. We have added some other pool ephemera and a diverse mix of people in the water having fun to further activate the theme.

We hope the design evokes a positive emotional response from people visiting the museum who had previously visited the site for a swim. We believe that our design introduces and communicates the overarching themes of Thinking out Loud in a way that is bold, bright and playful but also accessible, enjoyable and inviting to everyone.

You will be working with different communities in Dundee over the Summer – tell us about that.

CC: This Summer we are working with local community groups exploring the 'Thinking Out Loud' themes further. The mural on the plaza which we are painting this Summer will be co-designed with these groups.

At this point, it is difficult to say what the finished piece will look like as the workshops are yet to be held, but it will be welcoming, colourful, joyous, inclusive, spark conversation, and perhaps have some elements of interactivity.

We intend for the mural to have a powerful lasting impact on the community, helping them to feel more connected to the space, providing a sense of ownership over the building itself and the surrounding outdoor areas.

How do you find V&A Dundee as a space to paint?

CC: We spent five days painting the billboard and it was easily one of our favourite paint jobs to date. The architecture of the building is very impressive with windows looking out to the water. It was warm and dry, which makes a change to our often cold and wet outdoor experiences, and the tunes from the 'Night Fever’ exhibition were a perfect soundtrack for our painting.

We definitely felt lucky to be working in a space as inspiring as V&A Dundee, and can’t wait to come back this summer.

We can't wait to have you back!