Artist to create Covid mural in cathedral ruins

An artist will create a large mural in a cathedral's ruins, as part of a national day of events to reflect on the Covid pandemic.

Coventry Cathedral will display a "pavement artwork" on the floor of its ruins for one day only on Sunday, Coventry City Council said.

This year's day of reflection, which is an annual national event, will mark the fifth anniversary of the pandemic.

"I hope the artwork speaks to people who lost loved ones," said Katie O'Sullivan, a Coventry artist known as Katie O, who has been chosen to create the installation.

In a statement released by the council, the artist added that she hoped her artwork would have meaning for anyone who had "struggled mentally and physically" during the pandemic.

People can visit the artwork between 10:00 GMT and 16:00 on Sunday, and the cathedral will also hold a themed service at 16:00.

Katie O is a mural artist who has previously created artworks in Coventry's War Memorial Park to commemorate World War One soldiers, as well as making a piece for a river festival in the city in 2023.

The council said the cathedral artwork, which would be secular, would reflect on loss and Coventry's role in tackling the pandemic.

The world's first Pfizer Covid vaccine was given at University Hospital in Coventry in December 2020, when grandmother Margaret Keenan received the jab.

In 2022, the council awarded the Freedom of the City to the NHS Trust that runs University Hospital, in order to recognise staff's work during the pandemic.

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