Hanbao / Worcester Bid mural.

2000 sheets of silver leaf and challenges. Working with silver leaf outdoors at this scale was a first for me - but a project I’d always wanted to try. The challenge? Brutal weather. Sub-zero temperature, wind, rain - none of it ideal for silver leaf. The wall needed warmth for it even to stick, we had to pre heat each section we were working on with a heat gun. Against all odds, and with 2000 sheets of silver leaf and as many cups of tea, the vision came to life. 

I have been asked - ‘Why this style?’ Well, a recurring theme of my work over the years is contrast and playing with the boundaries of that so the idea of having a style of lettering typically used much smaller produced huge firstly explores that idea and secondly to use something so refined and detailed as silver leaf on a lettering style so immediate and expressive further played with that contrast.

Additional photography Adam Hoskins.