Hello, my name is Jess Thom and I'm a disabled artist based in London in the UK. I have Tourettes Syndrome which means I make movements and noises I can't control, called tics. This means that my image description will come with extra hedgehogs and biscuits.
This is a description of the mural I created in partnership with Citi to bring to life their partnership with the international Paralympic Committee. I created it digitally using my iPad and it was painted on the wall in Shoreditch by street art collective Graffiti Life. The image is drawn in a bold graphic style and in the background is a gradient going from green at the bottom to blue at the top.
At the top of the image in large letters are the words ‘Together We Rise'. The word Rise is as wide as the mural itself and is made up of the national flags of 18 competing countries.
In the centre of the image are five Team Citi Paralympians who will be competing in Tokyo this year. I will describe each of them in turn from left to right.
Seated far left is Yip Pin Xiu, a Singaporean Para swimmer wearing a sunshine yellow swimming costume, deep blue swim cap and pink swimming goggles. Yip is a wheelchair user, which is in the background. Yip's legs disappear into a pool of water painted in a swirling patchwork of blues.
Standing to the right of Pin Xiu is Natalia Partyka, a Polish Para table tennis player with one arm. Natalia is shown wearing a vibrant red top and is moving to hit a table tennis ball that is just about to connect with the paddle.
In the middle is British sprinter and Para-cyclist Kadeena Cox. Kadeena is riding a bright blue bike with bright pink handlebars. Kadeena is wearing a cycling helmet in the same shade of pink and is cycling towards the right of the image.
Next to Kadeena is Indian javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, shown here launching a javelin into the air. Devendra has no lower left arm and is wearing a two-tone green top.
Just below and to the right of Devendra is Australian Paracanoer, Curtis McGrath. Curtis is in a grey canoe punching the air in celebration. Beneath the canoe are waves of stylised water in a mix of blues.
The Citi and International Paralympic Committee logos are at the bottom right of the mural. To the left is the QR code that links to this description and a hashtag that reads “#StareatGreatness”. This hashtag is part of the Citi campaign featuring athletic accomplishments of Para athletes with the aim to change the perceptions of people with disabilities.
I was excited to create this image and for the opportunity to celebrate and make visible the achievements of disabled athletes in the heart of the city I call home.
