WATCH THIS SPACE

WATCH THIS SPACE

The SALT Mural Artist Paul Walters and Dcypher DateApril2019 Location Evolution Square, Tuam Street

Overlooking the quiet Evolution Square in the heart of the SALT District (theSouthernALTernative to the central city defined byStAsaph,Lichfield andTuam Streets), an illusionistic mural both designates the surrounding area and playfully subverts the architectural environment. Having been produced by local signwriter extraordinaire Paul Walters and graffiti legend Dcypher with support from OiYOU! Street Art and SALT District businesses, the SALT Mural is an eye-catching combination of letterforms and subtle subversions. Designed to visually disintegrate the wall on which it is painted, the word SALT appears as if constructed from bevelled columns, sections of blue and black aiding the visual trickery as recesses and cavities redefine the wall’s existing details. Along the bottom of the wall, couched in a rectangular cave, reads Ōtautahi, adding a greater sense of history to the area’s identity. A combination of signwriting and contemporary muralism, the huge mural is both a literal marker of place and an example of the transformative potential of wall painting.

Explore more of Ōtautahi’s urban art on a Watch This Space guided street art tour! Emailtours@watchthisspace.org.nz for booking information.

watchthisspace.org.nz/artwork/774