Crown Paints has unveiled a unique mural from artist Alexandra Gallagher at its showroom space within Material Source Studio in Manchester.

The paint manufacturer worked with the Lancashire artist to inspire visitors of its interactive exhibit, and to showcase an example of the beautiful spaces that can be created using colour.

Famous for her street art, prints, paintings and photography, award-winning artist Alexandra Gallagher, designed and created the mural using Crown’s S/S 2022 trend, Illusory for inspiration.

Taking inspiration from back story of the trend and using Crown’s range of stain-resistant scrubbable matt paints, the multi-medium mural features shades of pink and chartreuse, with digital image elements of surrealism and digital hyper-reality, overlayed in gold leaf.

The unique work took around 32 hours to complete.

Speaking of the project, Alexandra said:
“As someone who both lives locally to Crown Paints’ base in Lancashire and who uses Crown Paints products regularly, I was thrilled to be able to collaborate with them on this project. The palette of colours within the Illusory trend is bang on for 2022 interiors and fortunately aligns closely with the style of colours I often use within my own work.”

“The installation was designed to convey the spirit of Crown’s latest trends and I took inspiration from the layers of pink, punch of neon yellow and deep green found within the palette, while also introducing elements of Japanese influence and surrealism. It’s been a pleasure to see that vision finally realised and I hope it will continue to inspire future creatives when visiting the Material Source Studio site.”

Crown Paints has operated an exhibit at Material Source Studio since November, providing a source of inspiration for architects and designers, complete with trend insights, sample sharing, industry-leading case studies, colour expertise workshops, and a relaxing break-out area.

The first of its kind in the UK, the Material Source Studio is designed to be a state-of-the-art ‘hub of inspiration’ for architects and features a wealth of inspirational exhibits and interactive displays from leading brands operating in the commercial interiors and built environment sectors.

Set across two levels in the Grade II listed Hanover Building in Manchester City Centre, the 15,000sq ft studio is also home to an 80-seat theatre, CPD area, 300+ book library, co-working hub, meeting spaces and podcast studio. Plus, an internal garden with a fully mature, 6-metre tree, spanning both floors.

Georgina Crosswell, Marketing Director at Crown Paints, said:
“Our partnership with Material Source Studio is at the heart of our continuous collaboration with the architecture and design community. It’s about championing Northern talent, while bringing experts from the wider design industry together to share ideas, inspiration and expertise on the latest trends and products.”

“Collaborating on this instillation with a talented visionary artist and Lancashire local like Alexandra truly exemplifies all that Material Source Studio stands for and we were thrilled to see her vision come to life using our new range of Illusory paints.”