Hossein Ebrahim and Shahd Qaisahieh are the names of the teenagers that now feature on one of the largest murals in Wallsend.
The pair was immortalised on a building’s exterior on Boscawen Street as part of the suburb’s 150th anniversary celebrations, which will officially kick off in August.
The were chosen by artist Calum Hotham, who painted their images from photographs onto the large scale wall, late last week.
Dodging raindrops and admiring the new artwork from across the street, the bright teens admitted they were thrilled to be part of Calum’s creation.
“It’s very good, I can’t believe that’s me. I enjoyed being a model, I’d love to do some more work like this,” said Hossein.
The 17-year-old Afghan has been in Newcastle for the past nine months, after his family were forced to flee an uncertain future in their home country.
He and Shahd are part of the youth group Mosaic Multicultural Connections, that meet in Wallsend each Wednesday at Hunter Multicultural Communities.
For Shahd, the group is a chance to make new friends and engage in a range of activities, including art and photography, two things she is passionate about.
Since her family fled war-torn Syria little more than four-years-ago, the 16-year-old has called Jesmond home.
“My family is very happy to be here, we love our new home,” she said.
When she saw the beginnings of the mural, Shahd’s face lit up.
“It’s very good,” she said.
“I feel very lucky.”
Calum says the pair was a perfect choice.
“Usually I look at the shape of the wall and I try to work out what pose or movement is going to fit, and then I work out what I’m looking for in a model,” he explains.
“It could be things like hair, and smile, or facial features.
“I saw the character in these two straight away.”
Each element in the mural is deliberate in the storytelling too, he says.
“The bird house hanging from the tree represents their finding home after fleeing a bad situation. They’re releasing the bird and the bird is finding a home.
“We wanted to show that this is a place they can call home.”
The Big Picture Fest director Katerina Skoumbas says the new street art installation is a special way for Wallsend to mark its historic milestone.
“As we anticipate The Big Picture Fest 2024 in late September, Calum’s mural and the community behind it celebrate a sense of belonging – a sense of home – and that everyone is welcome,” she explained.
“We were asked to do a mural to help Wallsend celebrate its 150th anniversary
“As part of that, we invited Calum as one of our artists to come and do the Wallsend mural for our main programme in September.”
The idea, she says, was to feature the future of Wallsend during celebrations of its past.
“It’s very much about the evolution of Wallsend and its identity, so highlighting that these up and coming young people are, in five years time going to be part of its workforce.
“It’s really important to reflect everybody in the community.”
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