Work planned to ‘retouch’ damaged Bristol city centre mural

Maintenance work is being planned to repair damaged sections of a giant artwork in Bristol city centre just a month after it was unveiled.

The creation, called “Our Common Ground”, was inspired by African heritage and communities in Bristol and opened last month, replacing the fountains on Centre Promenade.

Bristol City Council said work to retouch the “small areas of damage” was booked for later this month and would be “covered by the original project funding”.

A spokesperson for the council added: “Expected wear and tear will be managed as part of our ongoing maintenance plan.”

It took the artist, Oisín Davis-Lyons, and a team of painters three weeks to complete the piece which is the size of two tennis courts.

It was commissioned by Bristol City Council and the Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District to help revamp Centre Promenade but people have already started to notice patches of damage on the piece.

Student Minna Fox said the scuff marks “take away” from the overall impact of the piece.

She added: “Maintaining it all the time would probably be difficult.”

Lucia Chamberlain-Medd studies at UWE and she said she walked past it every day.

She said she had “noticed the scuff marks” and added that it was “not looking great”.

Councillor Andrew Brown, from Bristol City Council, said there was a maintenance plan in place.

He said it would involve regular cleaning and the installation of 18 freestanding planters along the edge of the artwork to prevent vehicles from driving over it.

A spokesperson for the council also said it was working towards a yearly inspection to assess the condition of the artwork as part of annual maintenance of the area.

The city council said the piece was created using “road line marking paint on a tarmac surface” which should be a “durable material to use in a high footfall area”.