9 hours ago
Oasis mural made of bucket hats unveiled in Cardiff
A portrait of Liam and Noel Gallagher made from 3,000 black and white bucket hats has been unveiled in Cardiff as the city prepares to host the first Oasis gig in nearly 16 years. Artist Nathan Wyburn, 35, said he was "proud" the brothers chose Wales to kick off their long-awaited reunion. The 16ft (4.9m) mural was unveiled on Saturday during a "pre-gig party" at the St David's shopping centre. "They offered to send me 3,000 bucket hats, an offer I could not refuse, and I have now turned them into Liam and Noel Gallagher," Wyburn said.
The artist is known for using unconventional materials or everyday objects to create his said when people think of Oasis "they probably think of the sunglasses and the bucket hats, so it just seemed incredibly obvious to me that it had to be made with bucket hats".
It took Wyburn five days to create the portrait in his studio, which is a converted church. He first drew the brothers on a eight fireproof boards, then began the gruelling process of stapling bucket hats into just the right places. "My hand is in a lot of pain right now because I don't know how many times I shot that staple gun," he said. Most of the hats are intact, but a few were cut up to create finer details.
From his studio, the mural was shipped to St David's in eight sections the evening before the unveiling."[It's] split right down the middle in case we need to separate Liam and Noel," he laughed. But is Wyburn a fan of the band? "I like their ballads, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger, but I wouldn't say I particularly followed their career," said Wyburn, who is originally from Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent.
As an artist he said he said it was his job to "document things as they happen"."The fact that one of the biggest duos in history are getting back together, I feel like it's my duty as an artist to create something for that."His creation, dubbed the Wonder Wall, will remain in place until after Oasis play the Principality Stadium on 4 and 5 July.
