Two Welsh street artists have revealed a 13 metre high mural at the centre of Doha’s cultural district, Katara. They have collaborated with Qatari artists with the aim to engage diverse communities and explore each other’s values and cultures. Welsh Minister for Economy, H E Vaughan Gething, visited the two giant pieces of art as part of a visit to Qatar ahead of Wales vs England, today.
Welsh street artists Bryce Davies aka Peaceful Progress and Hannah McGree worked with Qatari artist Muna AlBader to create the impactful wall art which combines each nation’s flowers: the vibrant yellow of the Welsh daffodil and the lilac hues of Qatar’s Qataf flower.
Vaughan Gething, said: “The World Cup has provided a unique opportunity not just to show the world, Wales is a distinct nation within the UK, but to project our values of community and inclusivity. The mural is an example of Wales’ creativity and collaboration and part of our programme to engage and understand other cultures.”
Speaking to The Peninsula, Bryce Davies said: “I designed the mural to fit into the natural environment of Katara with two instantly recognisable symbols of the two nations combined a way that has never been seen before. The piece represents national identity, the opportunity for sport to do good – and of course, football.”
The mural has the theme of promoting culture and tourism and to see the potential for tourism for people to come and see. “We are representing two cultures on one wall and celebrating it. The mural brings the message of 'Unity'. Coming from Wales which is a small and a very proud nation like Qatar which has strong culture, it is interesting to work together, collaborate and find ways to equally represent both of our cultures in a way that people can understand and enjoy.”
Bryce Davies (right) and Hannah McGree.
Regarding the central focal theme of the mural and message conveyed through this art, Davies said, “We have used the national flower of Wales - daffodil and national flower of Qatar – Qataf and put them in a bouquet together. That alongside the second participatory mural depicts words for ‘Unity’ in Welsh, English and Arabic, has also been created to involve local Qatari people and visitors by inviting them to pick up paint brushes and contribute to a section of the piece.”
“We have been involved in the British Council and their ‘sport for good’ campaign. It has also been about changing lives through sports and the relationship with World Cup,” he added.
Davies expressed his plans to continue this theme of unity in other countries. “It would be great to have the opportunity to travel and paint and express ourselves this way and that’s why we do this."
“A simple picture on a wall can reach a lot of people like public art has a big influence and the message does not need to be complicated, it can be really simple. This is why we do this. We love travelling and being in different cultures and experiencing them and being a part of it,” Davies added.
Speaking on the timeframe for the murals, he said, “We did two walls, this wall (depicting national flower of Wales - daffodil and national flower of Qatar – Qataf) took around three to four days and the other wall with simpler design took a day. It’s been nice seeing Welsh walk and seeing a national symbol of Welsh giant daffodil in Qatar and it makes them feel welcome and being home.”
The murals were created as part of the 7th annual UK Festival in Qatar which will explore the theme ‘sport for good’. The two murals were launched as part of an event with British Council, Welsh Government, Street Child United and Education Above All.
The murals are being created as part of Gwyl Cymru Festival: a programme of more than 200 events across Cymru and the world as part of a 10-day celebration of creativity during the tournament.
