Mural fever spreads to Butterworth

A new mural at Butterworth Art Walk showing a boy fishing at a river.

MURAL paintings featuring old and new Penang ferries, a container ship, a sampan and crocodiles are set to adorn a 100m stretch of walls in the back alley of Lorong Bagan Luar 1.

Work for phase two of the Butterworth Art Walk project has begun and is scheduled for completion in the middle of this month.

Architect Zaini Zainul, who is heading the project, said there would be 14 murals depicting sea and river transportation on the mainland.

He said the biggest mural of the project would show an 18th-century trade ship docked at the port.

As for the painting of crocodiles, it refers to Kampung Kubang Buaya where Che Mah Hussein, the mother of legendary Tan Sri P. Ramlee, used to own a house there.

“We will also put up five art installations at the site once the paintings are done.

A phase two mural depicting a sampan.

“I will personally make a sculpture of a large sampan to be placed at the alley.

“It will hover above the alley and cast a shadow on the ground created by sunlight,” he said when contacted on Sunday.

The project in collaboration with Think City, aims to promote Butterworth town.

Cube benches will also be placed along the alley for visitors to sit and rest.

One of the phase one murals is a tribute to Major-General William John Butterworth (governor of the Straits Settlements from 1843 to 1855). He was known to locals as ‘Tuan Kecil’.

There will be a total of 45 murals and 10 sculptural installations along the 200m stretch alley once the whole three-phase project is finished in July.

The completion date is just ahead of the Butterworth Fringe Festival in August.

Phase one of the project was completed earlier in February this year.

It features nine murals and four art installations to show the agricultural industries which transformed Seberang Prai.

It is accessible from the side of Lodge 18 Hotel in Lorong Bagan Luar 1.