The origins of the new 27ft mural on Paul’s silo at Ipswich waterfront

What started out as a concept dreamt up for a university project has become a reality for one Ipswich artist.

A 27ft tall mural has been installed on the side of Paul’s silo at Ipswich waterfront.

Designed to give off a ‘great vibe’ in a unique style, the piece contains a map of the town centre, featuring landmarks and famous names from the town’s past.

Long-time residents of the town may also recognise a familiar face – Digby the Octopus, which adorned the same building more than a decade ago.

The mural was created by Ipswich-based artist and graphic designer Sammi Wong.

Its design was based on a piece she created for a post-graduate project while at the University of Suffolk.

She felt the scene added a bit of colour to the long-vacant building.

Sammi said: “It started as me wanting to create a map that reimagined Ipswich in such a positive light. I didn’t want to go with just a normal standard map.

“My lecturers guided me and I thought about getting lost in Ipswich and really exploring it rather than going from one destination to another.

“This map, you can get lost in, which was a challenge as I was thinking ‘how do you get lost in a map’? You can’t always follow the map, which helps you get closer to the environment you’re in.”

Sammi, who now works for Suffolk New College, did her dissertation on environment graphics and how they could create a visual identity for towns for regeneration.

She was inspired to add something positive to Ipswich due to a sense of negativity after the pandemic.

In addition to roads and famous landmarks such as a Willis Building, the map features famous names from the town’s history, including Ransomes & Rapier, Giles, Thomas Wolsey and Margaret Catchpole.

You can read about the university project that inspired the mural here.

Digby the Octopus was painted by John D Edwards, who first came up with the design in 2011.

Mr Edwards believed this marked the start of a fantastic career for Sammi and said it was a pleasure to work with her.

The mural, hoisted on a frame rather than being painted onto the building, was commissioned by Ipswich Central Business Improvement District (BID).

Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, said the aim of the project was to ‘enliven’ a main gateway to the town centre.

“I’ve been in the role for nine months and one of the earliest bits of feedback I got was people’s perceptions of the entrances to town,” he said.

“This is clearly one of the major routes in, whether you’re coming down from Wherstead, from the train station of from the other parts of the town centre.”

Mr Walker felt the design was ‘really striking’ and hoped it would offer a better welcome to visitors.

Sammi was chosen for the project as the team loved her university work, with the team contacting her shortly before Christmas.

The BID added Digby as they felt the people of Ipswich loved him as a mascot.

Mr Walker added: “I couldn’t be more happy with the way it turned out. It covers the entire side of the building.

“I think we’ve got an amazing town and hopefully things like this start to bring people in to actually see it. I hope that, for as long as it’s here, people come to enjoy it and that becomes a catalyst for people enjoying Ipswich.”

Paul’s silo was bought by Ipswich Borough Council in 2018.

Cllr Bryony Rudkin, deputy leader of the borough council, felt the mural was attention-grabbing and was an incredible addition to the landscape.

She said the piece fit in with the council’s ‘Greener Ipswich’ vision, aiming to make the town centre more sustainable, between Lloyds Avenue to the waterfront.

“It’s really important are outside spaces are celebrated,” she said. “It’s about bringing places to your attention so you’re looking up and seeing the work and the buildings.”

She added: “Personally, I really like it and the buildings themselves have a rich history too, and nearby you get a different, older landscape. And the mural itself bring so much colour.

“It is something that, whenever you look at it, you will spot something different and I think that’s what’s exciting and I hope people who visit the town feel the same way. It feels alive, vibrant.”