SWANSEA: A giant cat now prowls the wall by the Kardomah, as the Muriau Mawr trail grows

A giant, wide-eyed cat now looms over Park Street: more than 11 metres of colour on a wall that until recently was plain brick beside the Kardomah.

The mural is the work of Swansea artist Gareth Lye, standing over 11m high and 9m wide, created with support from Swansea Council.

Below the cat, pink-cheeked characters, creatures and Swansea Castle tumble down the wall in a riot of oranges, greens and blues.

It is the latest addition to Muriau Mawr, street artist Hasan Kamil’s project to bring ten large-scale artworks to the city centre, and, he has said, to make Swansea the street art capital of Wales.

The first, Kamil’s own “Feels Like Home” Swans mural on Salubrious Place, went up in July, with the trail promising themes from the Welsh language to poetry and women’s voices, and a map to follow once all ten are complete.

That first mural put lifelong Swans fan Salvatore Rullo and his granddaughter Rosa in the stands, with “Feels Like Home” painted alongside a section of the old yellow gate from the players’ entrance at the Vetch, its theme chosen by fans themselves.

Kamil’s paint was already on the city’s walls before the trail began: the club commissioned his Snoop Dogg piece in a stairwell of the Swansea.com Stadium’s West Stand, and his work hangs in The Swansea Jack.

The Park Street design was developed through engagement with young people from Circus Eruption, supported by MIOE Creative Productions, whose ideas inspired the castle and the cast of characters.

Circus Eruption, the Swansea youth circus charity, put its young people at the centre of the design process, and their imagination is all over the finished wall.

Lye said: “Their creativity helped shape the final artwork, and I hope people enjoy discovering the characters and Swansea-inspired details within it.”

Swansea Council cabinet member Cllr Elliott King said: “This eye-catching artwork has transformed an uninteresting wall into something people can enjoy every day.

“Projects like this help improve the local environment, celebrate creativity and give residents and visitors even more reason to spend time in our city centre.”

Muriau Mawr was developed by FIYA Creative, the company founded by Kamil, and brings artists, communities and partners together to create public art across the city.

The city’s gain follows the region’s loss: Briton Ferry’s much-loved Brunel mural disappeared under white paint in July after an ownership dispute. As one wall went blank, another has burst into colour.

The Kardomah’s wall has watched decades of city centre life go by. It finally has something looking back.

Author

Kit Peters

Kit Peters is a journalist and the editor of Swansea Bay News, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire since 2020.