Christchurch mosque victims memorialised in vibrant 51 Flowers mural

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF

Artist Paul Walsh is painting 51 flowers on a wall in Christchurch to remember the victims of the March 15 terror attack.

An Auckland based street artist has immortalised those killed in the Christchurch mosque shootings with a vibrant central city mural.
Paul Walsh was invited to the city to paint the artwork on the side of Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn in Kilmore St after his Remember the
Walsh's latest piece, 51 Flowers, is a vibrant bouquet of white tulips, roses, lilies hibiscus and clematis. The flowers then follow a Persian Mandala pattern – a motif widely used in Iranian and Islamic arts and architecture.

The mixture of international flowers, which were commonly used at funerals, represented the victim's diverse range of cultural backgrounds, he said."Tulips and roses are both significant in Islam and then the white lilies are the traditional western funeral flower. The clematis around the outside [is] a very significant flower for Māori and New Zealand and they signify rebirth and the start of a new season … and the hibiscus in the middle, they're representative of Oceania.

"I wanted to use international flowers since the people that were killed have roots all over the world. They may all be from different places, but they're all Kiwis."
Walsh, who has been painting for 20 years and started creating public artworks about seven years ago, said it was an honour to be asked to create the mural. He hoped it would "resonate" with the community.
"With pieces like this, you have to shelve your ego a bit and create a piece that represents how the public feels.

"It's not so much about me expressing myself as it is me creating something that can act as a memorial for the whole community. I wanted to make sure it wasn't too sombre and that it also works to beautify the area."

Walsh began the project on Tuesday and hopes to have it completed by Thursday evening. While Pomeroy's paid for Walsh's flights and accommodation, he was paying for the paint and equipment needed to complete it.

He started a donation page to help cover the costs of the mural and his living expenses for the week. Any extra funds would be donated to the victim's fund, he said. 

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