Today's guest is rising star Sector 17! A unique Punjabi fast-food franchise that started with a food truck in Calgary, abhi there are numerous locations across the GTA and other cities in Ontario and Alberta as well. At the moment I have painted their franchise office in Brampton and the Kitchener location (20 minute walk from my house), and their upcoming Calgary location in the not too distant future.
So first things first - what is Sector 17? Sector 17 is a district located in the city of Chandigarh (situated between states Punjab and Haryana) one of the first planned cities in
post-independent India, known internationally for its architecture and design.
Sector 17 is a known as a very hip and modern college- style district.
Franchise office mural
For the franchise office, the concept was key monuments and landmarks of Chandigarh, fused with those of Alberta where the owner Sahil and his partner started this booming business. Clockwise from top left:
Open Hand monument, Rock Gardens, Northern Lights, Lake Louise, the Sector 17 Original Food Truck, Noodle Burger (a Sector 17 invention). The revamped logo was placed in the middle of all these unique elements.
Rock Garden itself has to be one of the most interesting elements here - started in 1957 by government official Nek Chand Saini, it is entirely built from discarded items and waste. It spans over 40 acres and visited by approximately 5,000 people daily. Initially illegal and kept a secret for 18 years, Nek Chand was able to garner public support resulting in the garden being designated and inaugurated as a public space in 1976. It features numerous sculptures of dancers, musicians, and animals.
Open Hand Monument - Symbolic of peace and reconciliation,
it is open to give and open to receive
Recycled ceramic sculptures found in Rock Garden
For the Kitchener location, the idea was to fuse local Waterloo region elements with those of Sector 17 and add some Desi-style. Due to the large gaps between the bricks (1-2 inches), the art was painted in a more simplistic style in order to keep it looking professional. Some of the local themes included were the Kitchener Rangers hockey team and the clock tower located downtown. Traditional Desi elements (think Mughal) were fused with modern ones (sunglasses, discman...well not so modern I guess), and the Open Hand Monument makes another appearance - albeit in a graffiti-style fashion.
Kitchener Location
Here is the Mock-up chosen for the wall at the Kitchener location
(you can see how very little was changed)
All in all I look very forward to travelling to Calgary to do another location for Sahil and the team. It's a hip, fun franchise with an owner that allows me alot of creative freedom - what else can you ask for?
Until we meet again,
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