It’s been a little while, but here’s a new art project I really enjoyed discovering for TMRW magazine. Find the original feature here. 

If you’re calling a major city like London, Paris, L.A. or New York your home, you don’t have to look very far to find an abundance of striking street art literally hidden behind every corner. Hunting down the Painted Oceans project however might take slightly more effort than tumbling over the newest mural on your doorstep. For over 5 years, graffiti and street art mastermind Tristan Eaton has been tinkering with an idea that could easily be the most ambitious art mural project the world has ever seen.

Back in the day, the Red Sands Sea Forts in the Thames estuary served as the first line of defense against the Nazis in WWII until they were – not quite legally – turned into the first UK Pirate Radio stations in the 1960s and now slowly rust away as relics of a bygone time. Together with street art wizards Shepard Fairey, Futura 2000, How & Nosm and The London Police, Tristan seeks to occupy these forgotten historic monuments this summer and give them a new brightly painted lease of life.

Aside from turning each of the forts into a unique piece of art, Painted Oceans is particularly about keeping an exciting legacy alive. To fund their work, shed light on these beautiful structures and push for the restoration necessary for their ultimate restoration and survival, they’ve launched an ambitious kickstarter campaign.