ARTIST AT WORK AUGUST 2017
A Detailed Look at “Electric Fury” by Sonny Sundancer
Location: Newgate Street, Waterford
The “Electric Fury” mural is located on Newgate Street in Waterford, Ireland. This striking artwork was created as part of the annual Waterford Walls festival. The festival has successfully transformed the city into a vast, open-air gallery, using public art to breathe new life into urban areas. This initiative has firmly established Waterford as a notable destination for street art enthusiasts. The Newgate Street location is part of a larger trail of murals and street art pieces that can be discovered throughout the city.
Newgate Street has a significant history that connects the mural to Waterford’s medieval past. Its name is a direct reference to the “New Gate,” one of the principal gateways in the city’s ancient defensive walls. While the gate and most of the surrounding wall were removed in the 18th century, the street’s name remains a historical marker of the city’s expansion. The area around Newgate Street is still home to some of Waterford’s remaining medieval defences, such as the French Tower. The mural’s location, therefore, beautifully juxtaposes contemporary art with the city’s rich historical layers.
The Art: “Electric Fury”
Created in August 2017, “Electric Fury” is a powerful, large-scale mural of a roaring tiger. The piece is part of the artist’s “To The Bone” project, which aimed to raise awareness and funds for endangered wildlife globally.
The mural showcases Sonny’s distinctive style, which fuses hyperrealism with vibrant, abstract splashes of colour. The tiger’s face is painted with incredible detail, effectively conveying its ferocity and majesty. Surrounding the animal are bold, abstract elements, including bright pinks and purples, that create a sense of movement and energy. This blend of styles is characteristic of Sonny’s work, which aims to create a dreamlike world where nature and the urban environment collide.
The artwork carries a poignant message: it highlights the precarious state of tigers in the wild, whose numbers are dwindling due to threats such as poaching and habitat loss. The mural serves as a compelling reminder of the urgent need for conservation and the profound beauty of a wild world on the brink of extinction.
The Artist: Sonny Sundancer
Sonny Sundancer, born Sonny Behan, is a British-born urban contemporary artist who moved to South Africa as a child. This experience ignited his lifelong passion for wildlife. Largely self-taught, he is renowned for his large-scale murals that often feature majestic animals.
His work is characterised by a unique fusion of hyperrealism and abstraction, creating dynamic pieces that capture both the beauty of nature and the grittiness of the urban landscape. Sonny’s passion for using his art to advocate for wildlife conservation has led to collaborations with prestigious organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the United Nations, and UNICEF. He has created impactful public art installations in numerous countries, using his creative voice to bring important environmental and social issues to the forefront.
