Education is the Key to Unlock Equality by Darren John

Education is the Key to Unlock Equality is a public art project from Darren John. Located on two billboard posters on Old Street in Shoreditch. It is a black and white diptych artwork recognisable for it’s collage based style. The words within the posters hint at the kind of step which needs to be taken in order to build a more equal future. The project has been supported by the Wild Beasts Agency and Outside the Zone.

Darren John is an artist well known for his vibrant multi media style. His work too will be familiar to people in East London having worked in the area for years. The artist wanted to support a dialogue about some of the inequalities and challenges in our society. Education being something which is key to this.

Education is the key to unlock equality is a public artwork by Darren John — Posters by Darren John on Old Street in Shoreditch

Smaller Acts

“I’m very aware that two posters may not dramatically change the landscape of the world we live in” says John. “However, we cannot rely on tragedy to fuel the important conversations. We need to create a more level playing field for all”. His hope for the project he says is to encourage a more open dialogue. This would be in terms of being able to discuss the inequalities that so many communities face. “I’d like to promote that big problems can be tackled with many smaller acts”.

The artist Darren John with elements of his public artwork 'Education is the key to unlock equality' — Darren John with elements of the collage used to created the final artworks

I’d like to promote that big problems can be tackled with many smaller acts
Darren John

The posters themselves contain the phrases ‘Education is the Key to Unlock Equality’ and ‘Each One, Teach One’. Alongside the installation of the posters underneath a railway bridge in Shoreditch will be interviews with local people. These will document the views and stories from the public concerning equality. People can contribute to an online questionnaire and contribute their views here.

‘Education is the Key to Unlock Equality’ is a public artwork by Darren John. It was supported by the Wild Beasts Agency and Outside the Zone. The posters are available to view from 1st April 2021 to 18 April 2021. They are located under the railway bridge on the junction between Shoreditch High Street and Old Street. All photographs used in this article are courtesy of the Wild Beasts Agency.