Ottawa·Photos

Graffiti artists take over Canada Science and Technology Museum construction site

The Canada Science and Technology Museum may be primarily a construction site these days, but Saturday's mural installation is ensuring it's at least a colourful one.

Colourful mural to remain at St. Laurent Boulevard site until museum reopens in 2017

Professional graffiti artists paint part of the new mural at the Canada Science and Technology Museum's construction site on St. Laurent Boulevard. In April, the museum launched a mural contest to "celebrate the role of creativity and the arts in science." (Andrew Foote/CBC)

The Canada Science and Technology Museum may be primarily a construction site these days, but museum officials are ensuring it's at least a colourful one.

Dozens of aspiring artists gathered Saturday at the St. Laurent Boulevard site to design a nearly 170-metre-long mural on the construction wall.

The project is the end result of a contest the museum launched in April. They asked Canadian students between the ages of four and 19 to submit their designs for the wall.

On Saturday, professional graffiti artists were on-hand to make the mural a reality thanks to a partnership with the House of Paint festival.

"You don't just do science without being creative," said Alex Benay, president and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation.

"We wanted to see, from an artistic perspective, how youth across Canada were engaged with science and tech. And they came up with some pretty cool drawings."

Just one of the images from the mural being designed Saturday, June 25 at the Canada Science and Technology Museum's construction site. (Andrew Foote/CBC)
The museum is working with local hip-hop festival House of PainT to design the colourful mural. (Andrew Foote/CBC)
One of the images from a mural being painted on the Canada Science and Technology Museum's construction wall. (Andrew Foote/CBC)
The murals will remain on the construction wall until the work is completed in 2017. (Andrew Foote/CBC)
Another image from the mural being designed Saturday, June 25, at the Canada Science and Technology Museum construction site. The museum is expected to reopen in the fall of 2017. (Andrew Foote/CBC)

The museum was forced to close its doors in September 2014 after maintenance workers discovered mould in its walls, following years of complaints about leaks in the roof.

It's expected to reopen in the fall of 2017.