Public Art
Public Art unlocks the gallery door and brings the art outside for the public to enjoy, hate or discuss. Like music it explores feelings, taps into emotions, and can give a sense of order and place like no other.
I was a Landscape Architect at Telford Development Corporation from 1973, and from 1983 to 1988 the Principal Landscape Architect managing a team of eight. I developed two pieces of Public Art during my time there. I also administered numerous Public Art pieces for the town, like the Thomas Sculpture that can still be seen today.
The Trihedral Spire
Commissioned by the Telford Development Corporation in 1983 and located at the Naird Roundabout, Telford
It is intended as a feature – a symbol to herald the entrance into the town from the M54
My approach/concept was to produce a constructivist modern work, a form of geometric abstraction, emphasising purity of form in a modern material, concrete mixed with sky marble.
The committee thought it was an ‘aspiring form’ and approved it.
The structural engineer named it The Trihedral Spire – although it is not a pure trihedral – it stands at a height of 22 metres.
Constructivism first arose in Russia around 1913-15. (Tatler and Rodchenko). Prior to the second WW. It was brought to Britain by Naum Gabo who came to St Ives in 1939 (along with Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth and others.)
Telford’s Mark – 1987
Located at the Limekiln Bank Roundabout in Telford
When researching the life of Thomas Telford I came across a book about him written by LTC Rolt. The book included a number of small diagrams, which when joined together produced Thomas Telford’s (full) stonemasons mark which had two T’s, one upside down. Parts of this distinctive mark are found on bridges in Eskdale, Scotland and on Somerset House in London.
From my drawings the Telford Developments Model Maker produced a wooden model of the sculpture which was readily approved by the Telford Development Corporation Committee. The maquette was made with a view to being a metal sculpture but was ‘fattened up’ when the material changed and lost a meter in height.
Standing at 5.5 metres high It serves as a monument to Thomas Telford and his professional legacy as a civil engineer, with the mark itself being a part of his history in the stonemasonry trade.
Commemorative Memorial Bench – Harley ‘A Thankful Village‘
The Commemorative Memorial Bench was commissioned by a Harley village committee to commemorate Harley being a thankful village.
A ‘thankful village’ was because all the soldiers fighting in the first world war returned home. The name was conceived by Arthur Mee author of the first Children’s Encyclopaedia.
To create this piece, I drew the image of five soldiers returning home to 1/5th size. This drawing was then enlarged and laser cut on 2mm thick steel before being incorporated into the bench on a background of brushed stainless steel. In direct sunlight the figures appear black against a dawn sky. In other lights the figures are light grey against a dark sky. The idea was to show how the soldiers marched night and day to reach home.
There are two identical benches, one outside the church and the other outside the village hall. They were made by Mervyn Evans, a local metalsmith.
Creating Public Art gives the artist a unique sense of contact with the people who see it – a far wider audience than the gallery going public. Public art goes beyond ‘art for art’s sake.’ It enriches our towns and cityscapes, bringing uniqueness and vitality to public spaces.
It has been an immense privilege to have been able to create such artworks.