'At One With Cofa’s Tree’ by Matt Chu, 2021
This mural brings together three distinct visual elements depicting Coventry’s mythic past, tangible present, and imagined future in a dreamlike composition where disparate realities intersect and inspiration is born.
Inspired by the supposed origin of Coventry's name, its contemporary culture, and our collective hopes and dreams; the bright, colourful artwork depicts a tree, a woman, and an impossible object. These elements are delicately intertwined to show the relationship between altered states of time and reality within our public spaces.
Matt Chu is an artist and illustrator based in Coventry who creates highly detailed psychedelic works that explore the complexity of reality and evoke positive change. The artist states that he wanted to give Pepper Lane “a unique visual identity and create a piece that would instigate discussion and prompt people to contemplate our great city’s possible origins, our recent achievements, and our collective dreams of a brighter future.”
The 272 sq ft mural was hand-painted by the artist with acrylics on fifteen individual plywood boards, then mounted directly onto the masonry. The accompanying wall colours were also chosen and arranged by the artist. This piece was commissioned by Coventry City Council as part of the UK City of Culture Public Realm programme in 2021.