A huge new mural by Nottingham artist Natalie Coe has been completed in the heart of the city.
The 150-square-metre artwork covers the side of Severn’s House, part of the redevelopment of Nottingham’s Broad Marsh, which can be seen from Middle Pavement. The mural project was produced by City Arts and Art Fest and was funded by Homes England.
Natalie’s vibrant design draws on natural themes, using shape, colour and animal imagery. The work responds to both the history of Broad Marsh and ideas gathered from local people about what they wanted the area to become.
Natalie said:
Change is rarely comfortable, but it can be hugely rewarding. I wanted to paint the feeling of change rather than the place itself. Intense patterns and electric blues, sulphuric yellows and magentas collide with earthy greens and dreamy, shifting skylines with billowing clouds, moving from warmth into icy greens and deep purples.
The imagery reflects this place’s history, the uncertainty of what comes next and the hope for a greener future that emerged through the Broad Marsh consultation. Deer, dragonflies and the rare native Nottingham catchfly speak to transformation and renewal. To create work on this scale in the city centre, as Nottingham looks towards a new future, feels incredible.
Suzannah Bedford, Director of City Arts (Nottingham), said:
It’s fantastic to see Natalie’s mural completed. It was important to us that local people had a voice in this commission and in choosing the artist. Natalie has taken those ideas and created bold and distinctive public artwork that elevates Nottingham. We hope people will enjoy it as Broad Marsh continues to change around them.
Benjamin Kay, Director of Art Fest, said:
Natalie approached this enormous wall with extraordinary ambition, energy and technical skill. Her incredible can control and distinctive artistic voice brings the rich history of Broad Marsh to life through layers of colour and texture. It’s an artwork you can get completely lost in, discovering something new every time you look.
Severn’s House will be home to the University of Nottingham’s Connect Nottingham facility, delivered in partnership with Nottingham City Council and Homes England. Connect Nottingham will host City as Lab, Café Connect and the Nottingham Urban Room and create space for community-engaged research and conversations about Nottingham’s future.
Paul Grainge, Professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Nottingham and Co-Director of Connect Nottingham, said:
It’s a joy to work in the space below the mural as you can see people looking up, taking it in, and feeling the joy, vibrancy and hope of the artwork. We quickly realised the power of the mural and it was a pleasure to extend the relation with Natalie by commissioning her to carry the feeling of the mural onto the windows of Connect Nottingham too, making an even more powerful statement on Middle Pavement.
Jo Nugent, Executive Regional Director for the Midlands at Homes England, said:
Homes England would like to congratulate Natalie Coe and everyone at City Arts for the fantastic mural that has been created at Severn’s House. It really makes an impact. and it brings great colour to a site that will be seeing an enormous amount of positive change over the coming months, and years.