EQ BUILDING
111 vICTORIA sTREET, bRISTOL
Commissioned by CEG, Molly Hawkins created a landmark mural on the façade of the EQ building, celebrating Bristol’s rich printing heritage and the cultural significance of its location. The mural design paid homage to the site’s legacy as the former Mardon, Son, and Hall printworks, with the architecture representing a typesetter tray pattern that connected the historic with the contemporary.
Molly’s canvas stretched an impressive 22m x 15m, marking her most ambitious mural to date. Installed in July 2024, the artwork became a new visual anchor for Redcliffe, situated conveniently across from Temple Meads Train Station.
During the design research phase, Molly delved into Bristol’s typographic archives and visited The Letter Press Collective to deepen her understanding of local history. She uncovered the city’s printmaking past—a narrative largely dominated by male figures—and found inspiration in The Women Who Built Bristol, which highlighted influential artists like Paule Vézelay, who boldly challenged norms with abstract creations.
Molly explored a range of inspirations, developing numerous design concepts using collage and print-making techniques. The EQ building itself, with its architectural nod to typesetter trays, provided a unique framework to guide the mural’s design.
In a collaborative effort, Molly worked with Bristol-based writer Malaika Kegode, spending days uncovering local stories and motifs drawn from the site’s heritage and the thematic richness of printing and letterpress. This journey sparked playful and poetic pieces by Malaika, while Molly crafted corresponding visual motifs.
Expanding on the themes and aesthetics of the exterior mural, Molly also designed a series of interior artworks for the EQ building. These pieces were inspired by the same historical narratives and visual motifs featured in the mural, creating a cohesive artistic narrative throughout the building, enriching the space with a cultural exploration that resonated with Bristol’s history and creativity.
“This project marks my largest mural to date at 22m x 15m, and the excitement of sharing my work on such a grand scale is absolutely exhilarating!”
– Molly Hawkins
research & INSPIRATION
“I found myself captivated by the tools used in traditional letterpress and printmaking. I wanted to incorporate the shapes of these elements into the mural artwork, particularly the reversed letters prepared for printing and the format of the frames that hold the type and tools in place for the press.”
– Molly Hawkins
“I visited 'Forms 1936' by Paule Vézelay at Tate Modern. Paule explored creating space on a flat surface and had a particular interest in spheres and circles. I love her insight: 'They can be used to indicate directions or movements, in order to balance or counter-act the movements of other elements in the composition.”
– Molly Hawkins
DESIGN process
“Collaborating with Malaika to create the text within the artwork has been an incredible experience. Gaining insight into her creative process was truly inspiring and added a whole new dimension to the project.”
– Molly Hawkins
Below you can view the collection of poems created by Malaika Kegode during our research and development collaboration.
