Artist behind viral David Attenborough mural in east London surprised by 'massive' response

The artist behind a huge mural of Sir David Attenborough in London has said he is surprised by the “massive” response to it and hopes the “evolving” piece makes people think twice before harming the environment.

Jerome Davenport, an Australian mural artist and co-founder of international art collective Blank Walls, completed the piece just weeks ago and photos of it have since been shared thousands of times on social media.

“People hunt out these street art pieces and they're definitely very passionate about the environment,” the 29-year-old said.

“In a place like London you don't get to see that much nature or flora and fauna and if I can bring a little bit of awareness through my voice as an artist, I think that's quite important.”

He said the Bethnal Green piece will evolve in the coming weeks as he repaints the bird to show parts of its skeleton.

“I'm going to turn half the bird into a bird skeleton to give people a bit more of a kick in the bum by reminding them these things don't last forever,” he said.

The original image of Sir David was of him holding an eagle but Mr Davenport swapped it with a Greater Bird of Paradise, a roll on from a mural he painted in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Davenport is known for his hyper-realistic portraits and nature scenes created using just spray paint.

He said Sir David has been on his list of people to paint for a while and decided the time was right after the huge response to the wildlife broadcaster’s Our Planet series.

The mural also features Mr Davenport's signature bee, which can be seen in another work in Bethnal Green.

“The bees came about for one because of their becoming endangered due to herbicides and pesticides being used by major companies,” he said.

“Also when I moved to London it was kind of a grey drab place so I thought a bit of colour would be beautiful in old Bethnal Green.

“Walking along you see this flower and bees and I think it's a bit more of a reminder to be a bit more conscious of the things you use that could impact the environment.”

Mr Davenport’s other works in London include a mural of Sylvia Pankhurst and the east London suffragettes and a scene showing a German and British soldier sharing a cigarette together during the Christmas Truce in 1914.