Coles in colour
A bold new mural, designed and created by Kid Acne, now features on the car park ramp at the Grade II Listed Cole Brothers building in Sheffield.
Reading ‘Walk in your purpose and trust in the process’, the mural has been thoughtfully designed to respond to the building’s distinctive concrete form, inviting passers-by to engage with both the architecture and the message it displays. Commissioned by Friends of Sheffield City Centre ahead of the building’s redevelopment, the artwork forms part of the next chapter of Cole Brothers and continues a long-standing relationship between art and architecture at the site.
We spoke to artist Kid Acne, and Friends of Sheffield City Centre founder, Bridget Ingle, about how the mural came to life, the thinking behind its composition and why making art accessible is important in connecting people and place.
Steel City street art
Having worked together for several years collaborating on street art projects across Sheffield, Kid Acne and Bridget Ingle have most recently joined forces to give the Cole Brothers car park ramp a new look.
“I’ve been working alongside Bridget for quite a few years now, on street art projects across Sheffield,” says Kid Acne. “We share a real passion for making art more accessible and for injecting creativity into different areas of the city.
“It’s great to be invited to paint something on part of such an iconic Sheffield building. I designed the mural to complement the unusual composition of the concrete elevation. By wrapping the text around the corner of Cross Burgess Street, my intention was to invite the viewer to a specific viewpoint where the work can be read in a single moment, so someone could take time to reflect on their own journey and alignment, whatever that might be.”
Connecting with Coles
Art has long been part of the Cole Brothers’ story. When the building was originally designed, artworks were intentionally integrated throughout the scheme by architects Yorke, Rosenburg and Mardall, reflecting a belief that art should sit alongside architecture.
The idea for the latest art piece at Cole Brothers came from Bridget, who worked closely with our Urban Splash Development team, alongside planning consultants Made it Together, to secure listed building consent for the mural.
“The Cole Brothers building is such an important part of the city centre,” Bridget says. “The ramp had become quite heavily tagged, and because it is a listed building, this had to be repeatedly cleaned off. We felt that a new piece of artwork from an artist who started out in graffiti would acknowledge this interaction while brightening up the streetscape ahead of the redevelopment of the building.”
The next chapter
“It’s been brilliant to see this artwork come to life,” explains Bridget. “Street art is widely respected in Sheffield and having the opportunity to work with Kid Acne who truly understands and respects the culture of this art form has been a real joy.”
Kid Acne adds: “It’s been a real pleasure creating this mural – so many people have stopped to chat while I’ve been painting, and I’ve had some really thought-provoking discussions around the intention behind the mural. It’s obvious that the people of Sheffield are excited about the future of Cole Brothers, and I’m also looking forward to seeing the building restored to its former glory.”
Hear more from Kid Acne, Bridget Ingle and our Urban Splash Development Manager, Sian Stanhope on the mural in the video below.
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