Leeds in the frame for international acclaim as work starts on UK’s tallest mural
Work on what will be the UK’s tallest mural is underway on a landmark Leeds building.
The giant artwork, standing 137 ft (41.9m) tall will be the UK’s tallest piece of street art, as well as being the finishing touch to a major refurbishment of the Platform building.
The work, called ‘Athena Rising’, is to be painted the full length of the east elevation of the building, formerly known as City House, and will be visible from station platforms and beyond.
Work began on Tuesday and it will take up to four weeks to complete.
The design features an owl in flight as its centrepiece, alongside the moon and a crown and is part of the citywide street art project ‘A City Less Grey’, initiated by East Street Arts and fully funded by LeedsBID.
The artists behind the work are Nomad Clan – Cbloxx and AYLO, aka Joy Gilleard and Hayley Garner – an internationally-acclaimed street art muralist pair.
The duo are experienced giant muralists and have painted some of the largest murals in the North of England – the biggest to date being a seven-storey building in Liverpool.
They will spend their days suspended down the side of the building in a cradle on a harness to hand-paint the artwork, using emulsion and spray paint.
Cbloxx of Nomad Clan said: “It’s a great privilege to paint something of this scale in Leeds. It’s a place that one half of Nomad Clan still thinks of as home, after living and working there for over eight years. As a West Yorkshire lass born and bred, it really means the world to me.
“It is our biggest challenge yet, but we feel ready to give it our all and create something stunning for the community.”
The installation is the result of collaboration between the artists, East Street Arts, LeedsBID, Bruntwood and Network Rail.
Craig Burrow, Bruntwood’s Leeds director, said: “We’re very excited to be part of this project and pleased that Platform can provide the canvas for this mural. Bruntwood firmly believes that the strength of our cities is directly impacted by social and cultural vibrancy, so it’s great to see citywide projects like ‘A City Less Grey’ bringing organisations from across the region together to create powerful art.”
Platform is located directly above Leeds train station and when it’s completed this summer will provide 12 floors of workspace, including a Tech Hub for digital start-ups.
