Birmingham's Selfridges covered in huge artistic wrap
- Published
Selfridges has been wrapped in a pink and black canvas
A giant piece of public art has been wrapped around the Selfridges store in Birmingham.
Local artist Osman Yousefzada designed the temporary cover for the building in the city's Bullring shopping centre.
He said he hoped it gave people a "message of hope", adding he saw the work as an "uplifting installation".
It comes as the store is being refurbished ahead of the Commonwealth Games, which come to Birmingham in 2022.
All 15,000 silver discs normally viewable on the outside of the distinctive building are being removed and stored while insulation is installed along with a new facade.
To cover the scaffolding, Selfridges and Birmingham art gallery Ikon commissioned Mr Yousefzada to produce the design, called Infinity Pattern 1.
Artist Osman Yousefzada said he could see the wrap from the streets where he grew up
The canvas measures 125ft by 819ft (38m by 250m) and weighs five tonnes (5,000kg).
"It is a very visual piece, a strong piece against a skyline of concrete," the artist said.
"On a beautiful day it really shines. It is a message of hope and a message of colour and a message that colour can really be part of our lives in a very central and integral way."
Owners Hammerson said the refurbishment of the building should be completed before the Commonwealth Games in 2022
How Selfridges looks normally. All 15,000 discs on the store will be removed during refurbishment
Mr Yousefzada added he was still trying to pinch himself over the artwork as he could see it "from the streets where I grew up in Balsall Heath".
Hammerson said the Bullring store would stay open throughout the building work and trade as normal.
The store remains open during the building work
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