Street Poster Art Column Installation at My Thai Restaurant, Manchester UK
Street Poster Art Installation at My Thai Manchester
- Client: My Thai Restaurant
- Location: Manchester Piccadilly, One Portland Street, UK
- Theme: Thai street art posters (postering, street poster art, poster bombing)
- Dimensions: 4m² surface area
- Install Duration: A few hours (plus design prep and printing time)
- Materials: 200 gsm poster prints, D4-rated PVA adhesive, paintbrushes
- Objective: Create a bold, layered street poster art installation that connects the neon ceiling murals with the glowing bar and counters, bringing an authentic postering aesthetic indoors.
Want to design street art posters and plaster your premises? Send me a message. Let’s get pasting!
Street Poster Art for Interiors
For this installation I wanted to reimagine street poster art and postering within a restaurant environment. The brief was to connect the neon graffiti ceiling with the glowing corrugated metal bar counters, while also injecting the gritty, playful energy of Bangkok’s Song Wat Road. This installation is part of a larger transformation of the Manchester Piccadilly branch, which you can explore in the full project overview.
The solution was a multi-layered poster column, designed to look as though it had been built up over years of wheatpasting, poster bombing, and flyposting. It is a slice of hip Bangkok street life dropped into the restaurant, right between the bar and kitchen counter. By layering overlapping posters with eclectic visuals, the column creates texture, movement, and authenticity, standing in sharp contrast to the polished neon surfaces around it.
Design and Preparation
I designed the posters digitally to make the column feel like a collective effort, as if several Thai street artists had contributed. Every poster was Thai-themed, drawing on local culture, motifs, and street life.
Once the designs were approved, they were printed locally in Manchester on 200 gsm paper. This gave the posters enough strength and durability while staying flexible for pasting. After cutting and prepping the prints, I installed them directly onto the column. Each one was applied methodically, overlapping to create a layered, chaotic street vibe that still aligned with the client’s theme.
For installation I used D4-rated PVA glue instead of traditional flour-and-water wheatpaste. D4 PVA is waterproof, hard-wearing, and resistant to humidity, making it ideal for a busy restaurant connected to the kitchen counter. Unlike traditional wheatpasting, which can peel or soften in damp conditions, PVA keeps the posters sealed firmly to the surface and able to handle daily wear. I applied one coat underneath and two coats on top to seal them completely.
Visual Impact Under Black Light
Because the posters were printed on white paper, they naturally pick up a soft glow under the installed black lights. This effect is moderated by the PVA coating, which seals the artwork while keeping the glow balanced. In some projects I also add a clear UV white reactive spray to make the posters pop more dramatically, but in this case the surrounding spaces were already very colourful and glowing. A more subtle black and white effect helped break up the brightness and tie the spaces together.
The surrounding areas, including the neon graffiti ceiling and the glowing Bangkok skyline counters, are already extremely vibrant. The poster column serves as a visual grounding element, bringing the authenticity of street poster art without overwhelming the space. It acts as a wall of layered messages and playful graphics that reward closer inspection.
Style and Artistic Inspiration
The column was influenced by renowned poster and street artists such as JR, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, and D*Face. These inspirations shaped the tone of the posters, which are bold, tongue-in-cheek, and packed with visual punch.
Every piece drew directly from Bangkok street culture, featuring Thai lettering, cultural motifs, and playful illustrations that captured the vibrancy of Song Wat Road and aligned perfectly with the client’s vision.
Client Response
The client loved the finished result. They felt the poster column tied together the upper graffiti space and the lower bar with style, adding a break between the two while creating its own unique character. The layered posters bring an unmistakable urban energy to the restaurant, sparking conversations and reinforcing the immersive street-inspired theme.
Global Applications of Street Poster Art
Although this project was created for My Thai restaurant in Manchester, street poster art installations can be applied anywhere in the world. This approach works for bars, cafés, galleries, offices, and event spaces, giving venues a raw and urban edge.
The technique also scales with ease. Whether it is a single column or an entire wall, postering and wheatpasting bring character, energy, and authenticity into any environment. I am available for commissions worldwide and can adapt the process to suit any space or brand identity.
Why Choose Street Poster Art for Your Venue?
- Authenticity: Captures the texture and energy of real city walls.
- Flexibility: Works with different scales, from small indoor features to large exterior walls.
- Durability: With professional adhesives, posters remain intact even in high-use spaces.
- Customisation: Posters can be designed to reflect local culture, brand identity, or specific themes.
- UV Glow: Posters printed on white stock naturally glow under black light, additional black light reactive coatings can be added to enhance this effect for neon or UV-themed environments.
Ready to Get Posting?
Bring the buzz of street poster art into your venue from columns to full walls. Send me a message and let’s get pasting ideas together.
Want to see how this installation fits into the bigger picture? Check out the full project overview of My Thai Manchester.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is street poster art and how is it different from graffiti?
Street poster art, sometimes called postering or wheatpasting, uses printed posters pasted onto walls or surfaces to create layered, collage-style visuals. Unlike graffiti, which is usually spray-painted directly onto a wall, poster art creates texture and allows for complex designs to be pre-made before installation.
How long does a postering installation take?
Small features like columns or interior walls can be completed in a few hours. Larger installations scale depending on size and number of posters, but the process can be faster than hand-painting or stenciling a mural of similar complexity.
Can you send me the prints and I install myself?
Yes I can provide best instructions depending on your case, I can even send you the files which you can print yourself or arrange for print delivery
Can street poster art be used inside restaurants and venues?
Yes. With professional adhesives, poster installations are durable, waterproof, and resistant to humidity, making them ideal for restaurants, bars, offices, and event spaces. The technique adds authentic urban energy indoors without compromising longevity.
Do poster installations work with black light or UV lighting?
Yes. Printed posters on white paper naturally glow under black light, and optional UV-reactive coatings can be added to enhance colours. This makes postering a perfect complement to neon and UV-themed environments.
Where do you offer street poster art and postering services?
I offer custom postering and street poster art installations worldwide. Whether it is a restaurant in Manchester, a bar in New York, an office in Berlin, or a gallery in Bangkok, I can adapt this approach to suit any space and client brief.
