In November 2021, London was recognized as the first UNESCO ‘City of Music’ in Canada, acknowledging London’s leadership in music education, production and engineering.
London artists, festivals and music venues make London a fantastic year-round destination for concert-goers. This unique ‘City of Music’ designation recognizes what has been accomplished to date and the commitment made to collaboratively work within the UNECO Creative Cities Network on a global and local scale. Learn more about this designation here.
The UNESCO City of Music mural series celebrates and showcases this distinction at three impactful locations. The London International Airport and the VIA Rail London train station act as an initial welcome for national and international travellers. Upon first entering the city, visitors are met with beautiful artistic displays that communicate London’s vibrant art scene and specific dedication to music industry development. RBC Place London similarly welcomes guests from Canada and abroad as a central hub for meetings, conventions, conferences and more.
RBC Place London Mural
300 York St.
On March 29, 2023, the City of London, London Arts Council and RBC Place London celebrated the unveiling of the newly installed London UNESCO City of Music Mural located in the lobby of RBC Place London.
The mural was created by local artist Tova Hasiwar through the City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program in partnership with the London Arts Council and RBC Place London. As a UNESCO City of Music, London is a distinguished and unique hub for creativity, which is signified through the bold and bright design of this piece and it’s especially vibrant translucent records.
Meet The Artist
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Tova Hasiwar
VIA Rail Mural
205 York St.
In celebration of London being introduced as Canada's first UNESCO City of Music, Tourism London, the London Music Office, VIA Rail and Young Free Press commissioned artist Derkz to create this bright mural within VIA Rail Canada’s London location. Wanting to capture the true visceral feeling of what music is, Derkz sought to create something soulful and that conveyed a performance with mass emotion. He states that music is something that can change your entire mood with just once track so he wanted this piece to be equally emotional.
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Derkz
London International Airport Mural
10 Seabrook Way
Immediately this mural conveys the energy and excitement of live music. Looking closer, there are nods to the technical side of the music industry conveyed through the audio console faders. Central to the mural, is a portrait inspired by a photograph found online of Indian singer Shalmali Kholgade. Known to provide vocals for Hindi language films and English-language pop songs, Kholgade is also known for dramatically reinventing her appearance from time to time. In the source photos, Kholgade appears like a new character entirely through adding colour to her hair and use of face-paint. Muralist, Meghan Kehoe, conveys this in her mural and adds depth by inserting a microphone, symbolically amplifying the voice of the artist and turning her to face new audiences. In this way, the artwork becomes a site of transformation. The image is striking, full of arresting pink and red tones that contrast with the darker colours found elsewhere in the mural design.
For London, the ‘UNESCO City of Music’ designation is a call to open up and invite the world to visit, both artists and audiences alike. Through the strength of local educational institutions like Western University and Fanshawe College, the City is becoming increasingly diverse, and artwork in the community should reflect that fact. This new mural within the London International Airport achieves this goal. London is now a ‘UNESCO City of Music’ and open to all the possibilities locally, nationally and internationally.
Meet The Artist
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Meaghan Claire Kehoe