A striking new mural depicting the importance of women's safety will be unveiled in the town next week.

Commissioned by Ipswich Borough Council's Safer Streets campaign, artist Catalina Carvajal is working with Art Eat Events to create the 34-metre-squared mural on Ipswich Waterfront. 

The Ipswich-based Colombian artist has delivered a series of workshops to discuss the subject of Safer Streets and inspire the design of the new mural that tackles the subject.

The workshops involved discussions with the artist to explore the Violence Against Women and Girls campaign and the issues that arise around making streets safer for everyone.

Ipswich Star: A mural has been commissioned on Ipswich Waterfront as part of the Safer Streets project.A mural has been commissioned on Ipswich Waterfront as part of the Safer Streets project. (Image: Art Eat)

Art Eat Events said participants engaged in meaningful discussions with the artist and shared their thoughts about tackling unwanted behaviour, visualised and expressed ideas around how to increase their feelings of safety in our public spaces and came up with important messages.

The workshops involved the Lighthouse Womens Aid, Suffolk Rape Crisis and Volunteering Matters. 

Following the workshops, paint meet ups began on April 15 and will run until April 24, with the final artwork sitting alongside the waterfront's exisiting murals. 

An Art Eat spokesperson said: “The painting phase is one of our favourite events of each mural project, creating a lovely positive and friendly vibe where the community can get involved and be a part of a lasting artwork in the town.”

The result will be a large-scale artwork on the Ipswich Waterfront and a lasting legacy for the Safer Streets campaign.

The Safer Streets campaign is funded by the Home Office – the core aim of which is to reduce violence against women and girls and increase women and girls’ feelings of safety in public spaces.

Iona Hodgson, co-director of Art Eat Events, said: “Art Eat congratulates Catalina Carvajal for an impressive design, interpreting and amplifying the groups' voices - on a very sensitive subject matter.

"We’d like to say a special thank you to the groups that gave their time to the creative workshops, as well as the community safety team at Ipswich Borough Council for their and support during this project.”