The heritage of Bishop Auckland Football Club ‘The Bishops’ is incredible. But true.
Artist Alastiar Flindall (AKA Kunstity) has worked with the Bishop Auckland Football Club (BAFC) community, residents and the local heritage of the club, reimagining stories from the past, its influence on English football and the relationship the club has had with the people and place of South West Durham.
Bishop Auckland FC legend (and retired dentist) Bob Thursby poses with his young likeness as artist Alastair Flindall explores the AR aspect of the mural he created.
As part of the project, the artist has created large portable murals that can be brought to life digitally with the aid of a mobile phone. Scanning a QR code and pointing a device at the artwork gives viewers an extra layer of animated content through an Augmented Reality (AR) filter. This plays on the device, overlaid onto the artwork in front of you.
NMN Digital residency artist Alistair Flindall worked with BAFC supporters and staff, ex-footballers, community members and Bishop Auckland college students, uncovering stories big and small, which informed the production of painted murals and Augmented Reality (AR) animations for audiences to engage with.
The work re-tells important parts of the most successful amateur club in English Football History (!), winning the Amateur FA Cup 10 times (mostly beating their neighbours such as Crooke Town and Willington, but also Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace) - and also important social stories of international solidarity and interracial togetherness, witnessed in a famous handshake when BAFC played Nigeria home in Bishop Auckland.
Did you know that to this day BAFC still have a special relationship with Manchester United when The Bishops came to Man Utd.’s aid during the time of the Munich air disaster, which sadly killed 23 people, including several members of Manchester United’s Busby Babes, fans and journalists in 1958. BAFC loaned players to Man United and the town stood in solidarity with Manchester on this tragedy.
Snippet of Alastair on the background to the project:
The first mural will be exhibited at Bishop Auckland Town hall until 30th November 2023.