A GIGANTIC work of art is currently taking shape in a Basingstoke shopping centre to encourage people to be more sustainable.

Shoppers in Festival Place have watched Basingstoke artist Sian Storey create the six-metre-tall mural, starting yesterday morning on a blank wall next to Lush.

The artist is set to complete the piece of art later today, having spent the whole weekend working on it. 

Hundreds of shoppers have stopped to watch Sian in action. The artwork is located next to a hydration station, installed by Festival Place to encourage people to fill up reusable bottles with water, rather than buy throwaway plastic ones.

Speaking to the Gazette while working on the piece, Sian said it is the tallest mural she has ever done, adding: “Behind me is a hydration station so it’s drawing attention to sustainability to encourage people to re-use water bottles.”

The piece shows koi carp swimming, and was painted using acrylic and spray paint.

Sian, who created another mural in Festival Place last year for Basingstoke Festival, said of her current work: “The daunting thing was measuring it. You can say it’s six metres but until you are faced with it, it’s different. I love big blank walls and it’s not every day you get to work on something so huge.

“Lots of people are stopping and pausing for a moment which is the idea, lots of kids are talking to their parents about it. I have never done anything this tall.”