The first edition of the MURAL street art festival took place recently on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, in downtown Montreal. Already a street art hot spot, the boulevard, known as The Main, went through a major transformation. Twenty street artists from all over the world were invited to create murals of various sizes and styles.

Saint-Laurent boulevard used to be a lively artery in Montreal. In the last decade, businesses have been closing and ongoing street repairs have slowed foot traffic. The MURAL festival was organized to rebrand the street, giving it new, bright colors and an effervescent atmosphere that would draw people back.

MURAL was founded through a collaboration between artistic marketing agency LNDMRK and the Société de développement du boulevard Saint-Laurent (Saint-Laurent boulevard merchant’s association). With more than 800,000 visitors over four days, both organizations deemed it a success.
Aesthetically, the objective was to create an open, outdoor museum. Big names from the international street art scene recruited, such as Escif (Spain), Phlegm (GB) and Pixel Pancho (Italy). Many local artists, including Jason Botkin, Omen, Le Bonnard and Chris Dyer were also invited to make their mark on Montreal’s walls.

This year, twenty building facades were chosen to be covered. Artists were free to design and paint the murals according to their own style and inspiration and they were well supplied with the paint and tools required to create the giant murals.

Information: Untapped Cities

In this photo, Brian is shown posing with one of the mural characters.

EXIF Data

Camera Type: Canon PowerShot A610
Lens: 7.3-29.2mm f/0
Date Taken: 6/13/08
Aperture: f/4.0
Shutter Speed: 1/160
ISO: 50
Exposure Mode: Automatic
Focal Length: 21.7 mm
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Evaluative
Light Source (In Camera): N/A
Flash: Auto mode
Light Source (External): Overcast weather
Size: 713 KB
Location: Rue Saint-Hubert, Montreal, Canada
Latitude: 45,30.5717N
Longitude: 73,33.3278W
Elevation: 27.60 m