The Story Behind The Power

Some murals begin with a sketch. This one began with a conversation on the sidewalk, the kind that keeps circling back until it turns into a plan.

The wall had been grey for a decade. By the time the lift went up, half the block had an opinion about what should go on it — and that, it turned out, was the point. The finished piece is less a picture than a record of the people who stood underneath it while it was being painted.

Working at height changes how you see a community. From twelve metres up you notice who waves, who brings coffee, who stops to argue about the colours. The power in the title isn't only the figure on the wall; it's the crowd that gathered to watch her appear.