A colourful mural spanning a massive 90-metres has appeared on Newcastle's Quayside.
Geordie street artist Alex Mulholland, who is known as 'Mul Draws', is behind the work which covers a former bus lane on the banks of the River Tyne. Newcastle's business improvement district company, NE1, said the new mural is now the biggest piece of pavement art in Newcastle and the whole of the UK.
It comes after NE1 teamed up with Newcastle City Council to commission the piece in an effort to bring more public art to the city.
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Artist Mul Draws spent three weeks battling the wind and rain to create the mural in time for the opening celebrations of the Rugby League World Cup.
Stephen Patterson, chief executive at NE1 Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Mul on this exciting installation. We wanted to work with a local artist to visually transform the area and people’s perceptions of how it should be used.
“Our aim with this work, as with the wider summer in the city events programme, has been to celebrate the Quayside and draw attention to its fantastic offer. It’s important that people know that there is always something happening and that the Quayside is a hive of activity, and not just during the summer months."
Designed to be hard-wearing, the piece will have to withstand heavy footfall with people driving and walking on it, as well as coping with the rigours of the weekly Quayside Sunday Market.
Councillor Lesley Storey, Cabinet Member for A Vibrant City at Newcastle City Council, said: “It is our aim to make sure a diverse range of art and culture is accessible to everyone in the city whilst also championing locally based talent. I am therefore delighted we are providing a platform for this amazing artwork to be displayed in such a dramatic location, and in a place that can be viewed by all.
“If it can inspire people from all over the city to want to discover more about art in any form then we are doing our job and helping our ambitions to be realised.”
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