ART work inspired by a University of Bolton student who used his traumatic experience of being a homeless teenager will go on show this weekend.

Richard Brown, 41, has transformed black bin bags into the form of emaciated, skeletal, bodies as he invites visitors to examine how we perceive the homeless.

His work will be on display at the neo:gallery in Bolton’s Market Place at a special exhibition preview this Saturday (May 25).

Richard, who studied a Fine Art degree from 2015-18, is now in the middle of a Masters in Fine Art at the university.

It is a world away from his life as a troubled young man. He says at that point in his life he could never have dreamed of being in the position he is now.

“I had a very difficult childhood and grew up with a lot of anger, which led to me leaving home at 15,” he says.

“For a long period of time I was in and out of shelters, but I was actually completely homeless for three months and that was very scary indeed.

“I slept on factory roofs to be out of the way. I used newspaper to stuff inside my clothes to help to me warm and I started to draw on the pieces of paper as a distraction and that is how I began in art really. I had to work and work at it to become better.

“But in my 20s I forgot what I was good at. As people saw my work, they praised me for it and as a result I became more confident.”

Richard, who lives in Salford, said he wanted to use bin bags as an art medium for the subject of homelessness because for some people, those sleeping rough are simply regarded as rubbish.

“It means that they lose their identity as people and are objectified and it is easier to demonise and be hostile to an object than to a person.

“As a result of that they then become invisible and that is something I do not want to happen.

“This situation has become more and more prevalent and it is getting worse, not better.”

Richard said: “The homeless can be scary and some people are frightened of them and that is also the reaction that I often get to my pieces of work, which pleases me.

“I left school with no qualifications and when I enrolled on the Level 3 Foundation course in 2014 it was a massive culture shock.

“But I had taken a long hard look at myself and thought what am I going to do with my life? I decided that I should stand up and be counted and thank goodness I did.

“The University of Bolton has been amazing. We are one big family here and the tutors are incredibly supportive.

“They instil confidence and make us believe in ourselves; I feel like I am being nurtured here.

“It has been the most positive experience of my life.”

Richard’s MA group - Bryn Richards, Jane Flanagan, Hannah Bolsher, Stephanie Fry, Joanne Andrew, Brittany Bird and Cat Calderbank - has formed an art collective named 818 artists.

The group will be presenting an interim exhibition of their work, entitled 'undercurrent',at neo: gallery in Bolton Market Place on Saturday.

The exhibition will be open to the public from next Thursday (30th) until June 30th, Thursdays to Sundays only. Admission is free.