Swindon & Wiltshire News
New Bristol Dinosaur mural appears at Cabot Circus to celebrate 20th anniversary
Dinosaurs and architecture are not the most obvious bedfellows, but for 20 years artist Bristol-based artist Andy Council has been producing anthropomorphic murals featuring urban landmarks.
Back in 2005 Andy was commissioned to produce the cover art for a CD. The illustrator created a Godzilla-like character packed with as many Bristol landmarks as he could squeeze in.
The result was the Bristol dinosaur, and prehistoric creatures – with rows of houses for spinal armour, tower block claws, Suspension Bridge tails, and urban streets for limbs – have become his trademark.
T-Rex, triceratops, and diplodocus have all been turned into urban street scenes, and the animals have caught on elsewhere, with trendier parts of London boasting their own dinosaurs.
Now, a 60ft updated version of the original – the Bristol Dinosaur – has been unveiled at Cabot Circus, at the entrance to the defunct Showcase cinema which will be reopening as an Odeon, to mark its 20th anniversary next year.
The mural features landmarks including Bristol Harbour, Wills Memorial Building, Cabot Tower, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge as well as some less-famous locations – including Turbo Island on the chest and a foot formed by the Dean Lane skatepark in Bedminster where many eminent street artists continue to ply their craft.
Smaller versions of the mural are available from the Upfest art gallery, with prices starting at £65 for a 42cm giclee print, up to £250 for an extra large print measuring almost a metre long. A range of other prints by the artist are also available, including his Bristol City robin, which feels aptly seasonal in the run-up to Christmas.
Image: Andy Council / Upfest
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