A few years ago, we (Creatives Garage) were commissioned to create an artwork for one of the walls at Junction Mall. After several consultations between their team and ours, we developed multiple concepts, each reflecting different artistic directions. Ultimately, the client chose this particular concept, which we executed to bring their vision to life while maintaining our signature creative approach.
The renders for the project were created by the incredible Scadden Orina, an exceptionally talented digital artist. I’ve had the honor of working with him on multiple projects, and his ability to bring concepts to life with precision and creativity is truly remarkable.
The entire scheme of artworks was designed to capture different facets of Kenya—its wildlife, breathtaking scenery, and everyday life, whether in urban cities or rural settings. The aquatic scene, in particular, was meant to be more of an experience rather than a deeply philosophical statement. While it subtly highlights Kenya’s coastal aquatic fauna, the main intent was to create an immersive journey—where one walks through a stairway and emerges beneath the seabed, looking up at sculptural fish forms, evoking a sense of wonder and awe.
Once we had the renders, I sketched the designs on a huge piece of brown paper, which we then used as a guide to cut the metal and weld the artworks together. For the mosaic, we used block board as a base to assemble the tiles. The most enjoyable part of the project was breaking the tiles by hand, there was something deeply satisfying about the rawness of it. We deliberately avoided professional cutters because we wanted to maintain an organic, imperfect texture that added character to the final piece. The entire project took a few weeks to complete, from conceptualization to installation, and it was an incredible experience bringing it to life.
It took us a few days to put it up, and I was definitely saying a lot of prayers that the mounters would handle it with care during installation. Given the scale and detail of the piece, ensuring it was mounted safely and securely was a major concern. We had to do the installation at night after the mall had closed to avoid inconveniencing customers, which made the process even more intense. Watching it finally come together on the wall was both nerve-wracking and deeply satisfying—a testament to the hard work, creativity, and collaboration that went into the project.
It’s been a few years since we completed this project, and every time I look at it, I can’t help but feel like I could have done more, added more depth, played with different textures, or pushed the concept further. But that’s the beauty of growth; with every project, we see new possibilities.
I also find myself longing to do more mosaic projects. There’s something about the process; breaking, arranging, and assembling pieces into something whole, that feels deeply symbolic and satisfying. Maybe this is the year to revisit that craft, to create something bold, raw, and even more expressive.
