Colourful mural on Hat Studios celebrates Luton’s rich history

A colourful mural created by an internationally acclaimed German artist has been erected on the hoarding of the Hat Studios to celebrate Luton’s rich history.
The mural.The mural.
The mural.

‘Built on Waters of Love, Peace and Wisdom’ was commissioned by Luton Culture’s ‘As You Change, So Do I’ public arts project in the cultural quarter of town, and aims to draw parallels with contemporary culture.

Artist Veit Laurent Kurz was inspired by Luton’s past and created a visualisation, curated by Andrew Hunt, of a story he wrote about St Mary’s Church and the River Lea.

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An extract from the story reads: “An archaeological excavation was undertaken on the current site of the University of Bedfordshire, Luton before its redevelopment.

“Records indicate that the area was the location of a castle built by Falk De Breauté, an Anglo-Norman knight and favourite of King John, sometime around the 1220s.

“A medieval document shows that the castle was surrounded by a moat. De Breauté had dammed the nearby river for this purpose, however his actions caused serious flooding to crops and buildings belonging to the church, which led to complaints by local preachers and farmers.

“De Breauté was one of the most powerful men in the kingdom at the time, so he was not overly worried by the complaints, and he allegedly said that he wished that the damage had been worse...”

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During the artist’s exhibition: The Bavarian Vampire (A Site Visit) in the Storefront Gallery, Bute Street last summer, visitors were asked what they thought about possible designs for the mural.

Luton Culture was encouraged by their positive feedback which influenced the final piece.

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