Louis Michel returned to the streets of Shoreditch with a giant painting of a Turkey. Painted on Hanbury Street, the piece forms part of a nationwide collaboration with Viva! the vegan campaigning charity. It marks the first time the organisation has used street art within one of its public awareness campaigns.
Louis Michel stands by his completed mural on Hanbury Street. Picture by Street Art Atlas
The Hanbury Street Turkey
The Shoreditch wall features one of Michel’s trademark patchwork designs. A layered, multi-coloured Turkey complete with a Christmas cracker hat. The mural is the first in a new series titled ‘A Turkey Isn’t Just for Christmas’. It draws attention to the roughly nine million turkeys killed annually in the UK. Many specifically for the festive season.
Louis Michel painting his mural on Hanbury Street. Photo courtesy of Street Art Atlas
Viva! Joins London’s Street Art Landscape
To support the mural launch, Viva! held an outreach event at the wall. Volunteers handed out information about Turkey farming. Using leaflets with the artwork and the message “Be cool not cruel to turkeys this Christmas.” Free samples of vegan turkey alternatives were also offered to show the public what a plant-based festive meal might look like.
Ben Freedman, campaigns manager at Viva!, said the mural helped spark conversations:
“It’s generated a lot of interest from people who may not have previously considered how turkeys are raised or consumed during the Christmas period.”
Be Cool not Cruel to Turkeys this Christmas. Photo by Street Art Atlas
‘Meat My Friends’ Project
The Shoreditch mural sits within Michel’s continuing project, ‘Meat My Friends’. This uses public art to question how society views different animals. While much of his earlier work has focused on species threatened with extinction. This series shifts attention toward farmed animals and the systems in which they live.
Louis Michel commented:
“This new series looks specifically at turkey farming. Using public walls allows these topics to be brought directly into everyday urban spaces where people can engage with them.”
Louis Michel at work on his wall on Hanbury Street. Photo by Street Art Atlas
First of Many
With more murals planned for the coming months, the Hanbury Street turkey marks just the beginning. What starts in Shoreditch will soon spread to Bristol and Manchester. Creating a small but striking series of public artworks that bring animal welfare into everyday view. By placing these vibrant patchwork birds directly onto city streets, Michel and Viva! are opening up conversations in the places people pass through daily. Bold, bright and unmistakable. Each new wall will tell it’s own story, raising awareness as it does.
Detail of the wall. Photo by Street Art Atlas
Project Info
Location: Hanbury Street, Shoreditch
Date Painted: November 2025
Series Overview: This is the first in a series of murals planned across the UK. Future murals will appear in
Bristol and Manchester, each interpreted in a different style.
