Liverpool is a city decorated in incredible and fascinating street art and exterior wall murals, created by amazing street artists from the city and beyond.
As you walk the streets of Liverpool there are numerous opportunities to get your culture fix, as the vibrant murals breath life into the buildings and walls.
One in particular is the newest addition to Tithebarn Street, a mural projected on the side of one of the city’s much-loved Irish Ale Houses, Shenanigans.
Created by Cal Medforth a local professional muralist, the large-scale public mural project is one of the biggest of its kind in Merseyside standing a magnificent 100m2 in size.
Paying homage to Liverpool’s historic connection to Ireland, the mural encompasses the luck of the Irish. Representing the unique character of the city, Cal is hoping the masterpiece will bring some positivity to the people of Liverpool and its Irish ancestors during these uncertain times.
Cal said:
“Shenanigans is on the route for the Liverpool site seeing tour, so the first aim of the piece was to make sure it was Photogenic, as well as being relevant to the pub and city through the iconic features and attractions that give Liverpool it’s unique character.
One idea Shenanigans wanted to include was to make a connection from the outside into the pub so it looks as though you could walk into the pub through the mural in some way. As well as encouraging people to notice something new every time they walk past the work, there also had to be references to music, local history, the pubs character and environmental issues while being Fun, memorable and slightly thought provoking.
As it’s such a large scale public piece, I felt it was essential to use the opportunity to pay homage to Liverpool and in particular it’s rich historic connection to Ireland through the 1800’s when the building was built until present day.
To encompass all the ideas above, I decided to make the main theme of the mural to be about the docks and the influx of Irish dock workers who helped build the city to what is has become today.
For the main feature I decided to create an imaginary Irish dockworker as a giant who is loosely based on the pub’s logo with his red moustache and winking eye. His coat which also acts as stage curtains revealing the entrance to the pub hosting a traditional Irish band is being pulled open from the life sized workers appearing from inside barrels and boxes shipped to the docks.
The pub used to be called the rising sun so I included this contentedly looking over the infamous Liverpool skyline with a mischievous moon on the other side of the sky to balance this out. Swooping out from the cityscape we have the cherished Liverbird and the Lamb Banana standing proudly on top of the Irish cliffs of Moher.”
Cal’s awe-inspiring talent and skills have transformed many ordinary outdoor and indoor spaces, including bespoke art pieces located at Ten Streets Market. From his Mural called Ernie, Zeus Mural and the Panda eating mural sign, the BA (Hons) degree Graphic Designer and Illustrator is injecting his creativity into the city’s vibrancy.
The mural is well fitted to the Irish pub, capturing not only the history and love of music, but also the fun side which is what you can always expect when popping into Shenanigans.
Also capturing key elements of Liverpool, such as the stunning skyline, Superlambanana and dock workers, the artwork breaths life into past stories of Irish settlers and the growing Irish community.
The important dates included are:
1841 – When the actual building was built
1997 – Shenanigans was born
2020 – The present year
And finally and an indiscriminate date showing how the history will live on for long to come.
Keep up to date and view Cal’s work at www.calmedforth.myportfolio.com/
Follow social media Instagram @vally_m_art
