A new fan-designed mural, created in celebration of the longest-running leg of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’, has been unveiled in Shoreditch today. Located on 83 Redchurch Street, the mural will be available to snap a selfie with throughout the return of The Eras Tour this August.
The artist, Kate Claxton, 22, from Stockton-on-Tees, UK, was selected as part of a fan competition run by Visit London and brought to life by Global Street Art, the team behind the London Mural Festival.
Kate has been a ‘Swiftie’ for as long as she can remember, attending every tour of Swift’s for almost ten years. “If you ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you how big a fan I am of Taylor Swift and her music: from waking up at 5am to play her new music, to watching the opening night of the Eras Tour on a grainy livestream.”
To combine both Taylor and London, Kate’s design was inspired by the colours of the Union Jack, with the use of graphic line art to ‘make the design pop’. “To see my design come to life on the streets of London, in celebration of the best tour I have ever attended, has been an incredible experience and one I am very proud to be a part of,” Kate added.
The mural was officially unveiled this morning by ribbon cutting with the winning artist, Global Street Art, and Visit London.
Tracy Halliwell, Director of Tourism at VisitLondon.com commented: “Street art is a vital part of London’s cultural fabric, so we’re thrilled to be able to offer something creative Swifties can visit and take photos with during their time in London.
We know that music is a huge motivator for visitors choosing a destination, with recent findings ranking London as one of the most popular cities when it comes to music tourism[1]. As London prepares to host the most Eras Tour nights of any other city, we’re excited to welcome many more visitors this summer.”
London welcomed Swift for three nights in June, celebrating across the capital with a special Tube map, a Taylor trail, and a wide series of events across London’s fantastic venues.
Tourists attending the June and August London shows have been predicted to boost the capital’s economy by £300m.
Lee Bofkin, CEO of Global Street Art, said: “Many congratulations to Kate Claxton on winning the Taylor Swift mural competition. Kate’s artwork is proving popular with fans and we’ve seen lots of people taking selfies. It has been a pleasure working with Visit London to make this project happen and we look forward to working together again soon as we’re launching our next London Mural Festival in just a couple of weeks, at the start of September.”
Swifties looking for further ideas on how to make the most of the city’s celebrations surrounding The Eras Tour in London can visit Taylor Swift in London (visitlondon.com).