Last updated:June 24, 2026
The British artist David Shrigley brings deadpan humour and vivid colour to The Yard, Cubitts’ new 13,000 sq ft headquarters for spectacle making
Today, Cubitts unveils a new exterior mural by British artist David Shrigley at The Yard, its new headquarters and optical manufactory in King’s Cross.
Painted directly onto the building, the work pairs one of Shrigley’s characteristically deadpan declarations — “It was me that was crowing at dawn. Now you know” — with a large, brightly coloured cockerel rendered in vivid reds, blues and pinks. Part public artwork, part absurd confession, the mural brings a jolt of humour and surrealism to Cubitts’ new home for spectacle making.
David Shrigley and Tom of Cubitts
Courtesy of Cubitts
Tom’s a good pal of mine and I’m a big fan of Cubitts spectacles. So I was delighted to provide a mural for Cubitts HQ and thought this would be a good fit for the wall
David Shrigley
The Yard is a 13,000 sq ft site that brings together frame making, lens production, bespoke consultations, training and events under one roof. Designed by 51 Architecture, it includes a frame workshop, lens lab, bespoke consultation room, training academy, archive, exhibition space, commercial kitchen and communal dining area. The building marks a new chapter for Cubitts, uniting design, production, repair, archive and customer experience in a single working manufactory. It is a space built for craft and precision, but also for culture, hospitality and the unexpected. Under Shrigley’s watchful cockerel, that intention is made gleefully visible.
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About Cubitts
Founded in King’s Cross, London, in 2013, Cubitts is a modern spectacle maker driven by the belief that spectacles should be transformative objects: a confluent fusion of design, function and style. Built to be worn for life, Cubitts frames are repaired when necessary rather than replaced.
About David Shrigley
David Shrigley is a British artist known for his distinctive drawing, sculpture, animation and public artworks. His work is marked by dry humour, absurdity and an unmistakable economy of line and language.
© 2026 David Shrigley, Cubitts
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