The Bristol Dinosaur roars again in Cabot Circus

Bristol-based illustrator and mural artist Andy Council has unveiled the latest in his ongoing series of dinosaur images in the city's Cabot Circus shopping centre. Covering 60 square metres, it's one of the biggest yet and, as with previous works by the artist, features buildings and landmarks from across Bristol.

With the cinema in Cabot Circus closing, the mall contacted Upfest, a gallery that supports Bristol artists and coordinates large-scale projects with community organisations and businesses. Andy was chosen to create a piece to fill the frontage until another use is found for the space.

"They wanted a Bristol-themed piece and felt that I was the right person for the job, seeing as the city features extensively in my work," says Andy. "It just so happened that it is around the time of the Bristol Dinosaur's 20th anniversary, so I thought it would be a good tie-in."

He continues, "It was an easy choice to have the Bristol mural in the shape of a dinosaur, and it's kind of fitting, as the last film I saw there was one of the later ones from the Jurassic Park franchise."

The creature was rendered in spray paint, but because there are restaurants nearby in Cabot Circus, this had to be carried out off-site. Working with Upfest, Andy divided the design into sections projected onto 8x4-foot boards. "I marked up and painted each section, laid them out on the ground, and put them together like a puzzle, fixing any lines and sections that didn't match up. The pieces were then all jigsawed out and installed on top of the background that I painted on the wall," says Andy.

Within the image are landmarks in the city most would recognise, such as the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Cabot Circus makes up one of the creature's feet. But it also includes a few more personal elements of the artist. "I also featured Turbo Island in Stokes Croft as love it or hate it, it has become a landmark of sorts. There's a fire, which will often be found there when people have a party," says Andy.

"Also included is Dean Lane skate park – The Deaner – and on the print version ASDA Bedminster – both significant places in South Bristol. I have painted in one and had a few weird experiences in the other."

The history of the Bristol Dinosaur goes back to 2005 when the Bath-based culture magazine Decode commissioned Andy to illustrate a CD called Western Union, featuring bands from the West Country. This first dinosaur included the Circus in Bat, and Glastonbury Tor, for example. "It ended up taking off in Bristol in a big way and became known as the 'Bristol Dinosaur' through other people calling it that," says Andy.

The idea of a huge animal made up of smaller objects is always compelling, forcing people to stop and look for things they recognise. Sometimes, people see their own homes in Andy's work. Over the years, he's evolved the concept, taking the artworks from hand-drawn or digital illustrations to paintings and window displays to full-blown spray-painted murals. His commissions have burst out of Bristol, across the UK, and abroad.

"Highlights over the past 20 years include various large creatures painted on the sides of buildings in Belfast, travelling to paint a city snake in Mexico City, installing large vinyl versions of my creatures in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and painting the historic archways of St John's Church with heraldic Bristol creatures," says Andy. "There's also a model version my friend Matt Pugh and I threw together for a street art show at the Royal West Academy, which now lives in the M Shed Museum. I'd love to create another model but bigger!"