Reading’s free Solar Mural workshops run all August
Paintbrushes are helping turn solar technology into public art at two Reading venues this August. The free Solar Mural Community Painting Workshops invite residents to contribute to an interactive installation planned for New Directions College, with no registration or artistic experience required.
Drop-in sessions run until 29 August at Reading Bike Hub on King Street and New Directions College on Northumberland Avenue. Participants can attend the town-centre venue on Saturdays from 10am to 6pm, or visit the college from Tuesday to Friday between 9am and 4pm.
Choose between town-centre and south Reading sessions
Saturday workshops take place at Reading Bike Hub throughout August. The weekday programme runs at New Directions College from Tuesday to Friday, giving volunteers a choice between a town-centre location and the college site in south Reading.
Attendance is free, and volunteers may contribute as much or as little time as they wish. There is no booking process: residents can arrive during a scheduled session and join the painting. The invitation is open to the general public, including people who have never worked on an art project before.
That flexible format means participants do not have to commit to the full workshop day. The source does not set a minimum amount of time for taking part or list any materials that attendees need to bring.
The programme may also interest readers following other participatory projects, such as community art workshops documenting local lives.
What participants will help create
Artist Commando Jugendstil is creating the Solar Mural in partnership with New Directions College. The completed work will cover a wall at the college with painted artwork and specially designed solar panels capable of generating renewable energy.
Lights, sound and sensors will form part of the installation. According to Reading Borough Council News, those elements will respond when people walk past, making the finished mural an interactive feature rather than a static wall painting.
Arts Council England funding supports the project, which combines community participation, creative work and renewable-energy technology. Residents attending the workshops will contribute directly to painting the mural before it becomes part of the New Directions College site. Learners from the college are also involved in the wider project.
How to take part before 29 August
Residents can drop into Reading Bike Hub, King Street, on Saturdays between 10am and 6pm. Sessions at New Directions College, Northumberland Avenue, run Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 4pm, with the programme continuing through 29 August.
Councillor Rachel Eden, Reading’s lead councillor for education and public health, said participants can meet people and learn skills while contributing whatever time they have available. Her instruction was straightforward: turn up, pick up a paintbrush and join in.
No registration is required. Reading Borough Council News does not provide specific transport or accessibility information, so anyone who needs those details should check with New Directions College before travelling. Further information is available on the New Directions College project page.
Source: Reading Borough Council News
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Dates, venues, session times and entry arrangements were checked against information published by Reading Borough Council News.
- Confirmed that workshops continue through 29 August 2026.
- Checked the separate schedules for Reading Bike Hub and New Directions College.
- Confirmed that attendance is free and no registration is required.
- Checked that the project is led by New Directions College and Commando Jugendstil.
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- Reading Borough Council News
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- Reading
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- 2026-08-11 10:52
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