Viking bus station mural project, Lerwick

Bus users will have noticed that a new mural has been installed at the Viking Bus Station in Lerwick over recent weeks.

The final selection of images was based on submissions from children and young people from across Shetland, following a request for ideas earlier this summer. Hundreds of submissions were received, from Baltasound to Bigton, which provided the inspiration for Inverness-based street artist Marc Delaye to create the large scale mural, as part of the Year of Young People 2018.

Under the guidance of Marc, young people met to produce a lasting piece of community art, celebrating ‘culture’ – one of the themes of the Year of Young People. The mural measures 25 metres long by 2.4 metres high and features images of young people, orcas, a fishing boat, sheep, a Shetland pony and a gannet.

The mural was created by Alex, Alisha, Calum, Chelsey, Christine, Dougray, Ethan, Jak, Jenna, Jodie, Jonathan, Isla, Kiana, Nathan, Peter and Varik.

The street art mural project has received funding and support from Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Amenity Trust, Tesco Bags of Help scheme, Rexel, Shetland Association of Youth Clubs, Lerwick Community Council ‘Loot for Lerwick’, the Rotary Club of Shetland, and Unison.

Artist Marc Delaye said, “It was amazing to work with Shetland’s young people to create the mural. They have learned different techniques on how to use a spray can, and have been enthusiastic about the creative process. Despite some pretty challenging weather conditions, they have achieved a brilliant artwork which is a fitting legacy of the Year of Young People 2018.”