We have launched! Experience Southall Stories for yourself
We welcomed Councillors, artists and locals to officially launch Southall Stories on Thursday 10th September. A great day where together, council officer Will Rees from Ealing Culture, led us around some of the key public artworks that have gone up around the town thanks to our Southall Public Art project.
The full project includes eight outstanding public artworks:
- The Broadway Manja, by Shirin Naveed
- Faces of Southall, by Raj Dhunna
- Stronger Together, by Gurdish Haugsdal
- Wolf Bridge Mural, by Pablo Thomas
- Under the Sun, by Haffendi Anuar
- Drift, by Prem Sahib
- The Fabric of Southall, by Matt Small and Monika Forsberg
- Making Southall in Miniature, by TK Hay
All artworks were created following thorough engagement and research with local communities, including working with schools to inspire the artists, creative workshops and consultation.
Download and print the map to follow the trail yourself
Discovering the artists and the artworks
At Merrick Road footbridge, we visited Faces of Southall, created by Raj Dhunna.
Raj is an artist who works with illustration and design to communicate his visual language. He’s interested in depicting people, cultures, music and sports. Part of the project included supporting new and emerging artists and this was Raj’s first major commission for a public artwork.
He also works within education spaces. Clients include: Nike, Adidas, Spotify, Apple, TFL, BBC, New Yorker, Guardian and more.
I want to thank the people of Southall who participated in this project.
From schools, local organisations, restaurant staff, people who engaged with the project whilst seeing it in old and new Southall.Raj Dhunna, artist
On the footbridge itself, Kurdish Haugsdal has transformed the bridge, creating ‘Stronger Together’.
Over 140 metres long, Stronger Together is a mural spanning both sides of a 70-metre bridge, connecting Southall’s history and cultural heritage with its future. Both visually and metaphorically, the journey begins at the Park Avenue entrance, framed by Victorian houses and moves toward the emerging high-rise developments, tracing a path from past to future.
The mural unfolds as a living timeline that celebrates heritage and music, explores migration, and imagines what lies ahead. Painted portraits of local residents are paired with the stories that have shaped the community, reflecting journeys of arrival, resilience and connection. These narratives highlight the voices and experiences that continue to define Southall’s identity.
Gurdish Haugsdal (also known as Dish) is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Southall, London, now based in Bergen, Norway. Growing up in Southall has been a lasting influence on her practice, shaping her interest in community, identity, and storytelling.
My hope for this visual space is that it becomes a place for dialogue, reflection, and inspiration, honouring the past while envisioning the community’s evolving future.
Gurdish Haugsdal, artist
The tour continued to another bridge, Norwood Road Bridge, with 12 moments painted on the panels of the bridge, created by Pablo Thomas.
Named ‘The Wolf Bridge’ this mural brings together 12 key moments that reflect Southall’s culture and history. These were selected through a mix of research and conversations with the local community, making sure the stories felt genuine and representative. Drawing on archive imagery as well as local input, the piece celebrates Southall’s diversity, traditions and everyday life.
Pablo Thomas is a multidisciplinary Spanish artist based in London. Coming from an animation background, he is influenced by graphic design, music, film and pop culture. His work is impregnated by memories and nostalgia, capturing moments and portraying stories of people.
We painted the mural over one week as a team of three (Lours, Nacho Welles and Pablo) turning the bridge into a timeline that invites both locals and visitors to connect with Southall’s past and present.
Pablo Thomas, artist
We arrived at Southall Library and Dominion Centre to enjoy ‘Under the Sun’ by Haffendi Anuar.
Under the Sun reimagines the traditional shadow puppet theatre, a culturally significant community art form across South and Southeast Asia, as a contemporary, joyful and interactive installation. The work engages with Southall’s rich cultural heritage, community history, and collective imagination.
Haffendi Anuar is a Malaysian multidisciplinary contemporary artist, educator, and gallery director based in London. His practice spans sculpture, painting, installation and drawing. He explores themes of identity, architecture, post-colonial histories, and cultural memory.
We would like to acknowledge with thanks the support of Local Councillors – Councillor John Martin, Councillor Jags Sanghera and Councillor Kim Kaur Nagpal. A huge congratulations to all of the artists involved for their hard work and also thank you to all the local community who have taken part in workshops, who attended the launch, inspired our artists – and to all those people from Southall, Ealing and elsewhere who are yet to explore our new artworks.
Watch some of the artworks in development
See artist Haf in this video, he worked with young students at Havelock School to create shadow puppets:
School children from Villiers High School worked with artist, Kush, to create collages and artwork to help inspire her illustrated map of Southall Stories.
Children from Dairy Meadow Primary School got the opportunity to try out new creative skills with artists Pablo and Ignacio.
This project was only possible with funding from UK SPF Government and the support of Ealing Council and the Mayor of London.
