Nottinghamshire Day Celebrations Article

To celebrate Nottinghamshire Day we invited local artist to make over our iconic mall piano. The day is designed to celebrate everything the county has to offer and the people, businesses and history which makes it such a wonderful place to live.

The newly-painted piano, which is free for shoppers to play and enjoy on the mall, was designed by Nottingham-based sign painter, Lorna Dunn, who is known for her colourful murals across the city and her window art for local businesses.

Taking two days to complete the design, in front of a live audience of shoppers, Lorna decorated the instrument with hand-painted murals of famous landmarks including Nottingham Castle, the River Trent and Victoria Centre’s own Emett Clock and Clocktower.

Alongside these, nods to the city’s sporting culture, such as Trent Bridge, Meadow Lane and the City Ground were incorporated into the design, accompanied by traces of the county’s history including its lace-making heritage, its fictional hero, Robin Hood, and Nottingham’s caves.

Commenting on her work, Lorna, said:

“It was a pleasure to design the artwork for Victoria Centre’s much-loved piano. As the installation was created to mark Nottinghamshire Day, I wanted to draw inspiration from the areas of Nottingham that we all know and love, and that tourists travel for miles to see.

“For me, it was made even more special by being able to paint it in front of the public, in a place that itself has so much history – over 50 years of it, in fact. Celebrating and being proud of where we live is what Nottinghamshire Day is all about, so I’m thrilled that Victoria Centre chose to work with me and my independent business for this project.”

Visitors can find the newly designed piano on the mall on south square, near Next.