It looms on the edge of downtown a stone鈥檚 throw from the Calgary Tower, a splash of colour amid aging buildings, railway tracks, parkades and a steady stream of traffic.
It鈥檚 billed as the world鈥檚 tallest mural, painted by one of the globe鈥檚 top graffiti artists, and is part of a project to turn an austere area of downtown into an expansive open-air urban art gallery.
鈥淭he brutalism and dystopian look of this area with the giant parkades and the spiral ramps and stuff 鈥� it feels like Gotham. So turning this wall from concrete nothing to this is really fun,鈥� said Peter Oliver, president of the Beltline Urban Murals Project, or BUMP.
The mural is an abstract painting in various shades of orange, black, grey, blue, white and yellow and is the creation of DAIM, an internationally renowned German artist. DAIM, whose real name is Mirko Reisser, has been creating public artworks for more than 30 years.
鈥淒AIM鈥檚 work is rooted in graffiti art. It鈥檚 abstract and he was actually the very first graffiti artist to start exploring three-dimensional works. So his work kind of obeys the laws of light and shadow but defies the laws of gravity,鈥� Oliver said.
鈥淚 think his work really marries well with the brutalism of this building and it鈥檚 just a massive flat wall of concrete. It鈥檚 the very first prefabricated concrete building in Calgary, built in 1980.鈥�
The mural is 95 metres high, making it the tallest mural in the world 鈥渂y a long shot,鈥� said Oliver.
He said most cities don鈥檛 have giant concrete walls available, with the majority being glass, steel or aluminum. So this was a perfect marriage.
DAIM, who was assisted by three local artists, spent over three weeks painting and went through more than 500 cans of spray paint after a base coat was added to the bare concrete. It is to be a permanent addition to the area and, as of last week, was awaiting a coat of UV sealant to make it complete.
Facing toward the east, it can be seen from a long way away.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got the window seat on the airplane, you can see it on the approach into the airport,鈥� Oliver said.
鈥淚 think what we鈥檙e really doing with BUMP is re-architecting the identity of this city.鈥�
The project will be unveiling about 60 new murals during its annual festival, which runs from Aug. 1 to 28. Before that, the new art work can be viewed by visitors at the annual Calgary Stampede, which begins this week.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e coming down, I鈥檇 check this out over the parade any day,鈥� Oliver said with a chuckle.
鈥擝ill Graveland, The Canadian Press
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