HIMACS POWERS STUART MELROSE AND KEV MUNDAY’ S COLOURFUL TRIBUTE TO READING
GREEN & BLUE INFRASTRUCTURE
URBAN ART WITH HEART:
HIMACS POWERS STUART MELROSE AND KEV MUNDAY’ S COLOURFUL TRIBUTE TO READING
How do you celebrate the spirit of a town in a high-profile work of public art? This was the challenge presented to designer Stuart Melrose and artist Kev Munday when they were commissioned to create a stunning backlit mural made from HIMACS solid surface for the new £ 850million Station Hill development in Reading.
A key feature of a £ 1.5 million series of artworks, devised by cultural placemaking agency Futurecity, and commissioned and funded by Lincoln MGT JV, the mural is part of a public realm art trail across the two acres linking the station with the town centre, and is intended to both reflect and enhance the area’ s cultural legacy.
Having local connections, plus experience of the kind of material that could both capture the essence of the design and withstand the demands of an outdoor, hightraffic public installation, Melrose and Munday began the process by working with an advisory committee that included historians, local art groups and school children.
“ The experience was both inspiring and highly enjoyable,” says Stuart,“ and it soon became clear there was fantastic scope for embodying Reading’ s heritage and personality in a really vibrant, fun and distinctive way. Bringing artist Kev Munday on board was a no-brainer, his joyful, graffiti style work is unmistakable and absolutely ideal for this project.”
Welcoming arrivals to Reading from the train station, the mural marks an important pedestrian gateway to the town and frames the new underpass while being visible from a‘ pocket park’ opposite – the perfect vantage point from which to enjoy this spectacular installation. Considering its location, the mural needed to be formed of a material that could go the distance in terms of withstanding weather, a constant stream of passersby, and any damage it might incur.
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