New King Street mural to be unveiled soon

The scaffolding is down and passersby now have a general idea of what the new MURIRS mural on the side of the SAQ building facing King Street will look like.

According to MURIRS President Serge Malenfant, the new work is 85 per cent done. An inauguration is being scheduled for the beginning of September to explain the theme, identify the characters featured and share the historical

significance of the mural.

“It’s just three of us now,” Malenfant said, explaining that the rest of the MURIRS crew is either back to school, or busy with other contracts.

This was a particularly difficult summer for mural making, Malenfant said. One day during the heat wave, the temperature of the wall was 37 degrees, which made it impossible to paint. There were other days when the humidity level was too high for paint to properly adhere to the surface, again delaying progress. Even many nice days were interrupted briefly with rain, slowing down work while the artists waited for the surface to dry.

Now that the scaffolding is down, the three remaining MURIRS artists can finish the work and fine tune the details. Malenfant said that when the scaffolding is up, it is challenging to paint between the planks, and touch ups are often required once it is removed.

While there are some obvious references in the mural; Marché Central Lansdowne, Hôtel Central, and a city bus prominently featured in the scene, Malenfant said patrons will have to wait until the inauguration to learn the significance of the different elements featured in the new mural.