A new 150-square-metre mural by Nottingham artist Natalie Coe has been completed as part of the redevelopment of Broad Marsh in the city centre.
The artwork covers the side of Severn’s House and is visible from Middle Pavement. The project was produced by City Arts and Art Fest, with funding from Homes England.
The mural features colourful patterns, animal imagery and natural themes, reflecting the history of Broad Marsh and ideas put forward by local people about the area’s future.
Coe’s design includes deer, dragonflies and the rare native Nottingham catchfly, alongside changing skylines and contrasting colours intended to represent transformation and renewal.
Natalie Coe said: “Change is rarely comfortable, but it can be hugely rewarding. I wanted to paint the feeling of change rather than the place itself.
“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.”
Local people were involved in the commissioning process, including contributing ideas and helping to select the artist.
Suzannah Bedford, director of City Arts Nottingham, said: “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.”
The mural forms part of the wider changes taking place around Broad Marsh, where the former shopping centre site is being redeveloped.
Severn’s House will accommodate the University of Nottingham’s Connect Nottingham facility, delivered in partnership with Nottingham City Council and Homes England.
The facility will include City as Lab, Café Connect and the Nottingham Urban Room, providing space for community research and discussions about the city’s future.
The university has also commissioned Coe to extend elements of the mural’s design onto the windows of Connect Nottingham facing Middle Pavement.
Paul Grainge, professor of Film and Television Studies at the University of Nottingham and co-director of Connect Nottingham, said: “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.”
Benjamin Kay, director of Art Fest, said the artist had approached the large-scale commission with ambition and technical skill, using layers of colour and texture to reflect Broad Marsh’s history.
Jo Nugent, executive regional director for the Midlands at Homes England, said the mural brought colour to a site that would undergo further changes over the coming months and years.
