Angel of the North

Picture Perfect

It's artist Ken White's birthday today. He's got a list of works and clients that you'd need the side of a house to write them all on. You can see many pictures of his Swindon mural works at the Swindon Local Flickr account here.

Here's some pictures of his canvas of Lydiard Park and House. Happy birthday Mr White.

There's Never Anything On The TV In Whitney Street

A new piece of street art in Swindon. It would appear that in Whitney Street, not every TV is a flat screen.

In Your Face

Some of the latest street art in Swindon. Do you recognise the face?

The Angel of the North by Antony Gormley (Sir)

The Sculptor Antony Gormley has been knighted in the New Year's Honours List.

The Angel approves.

Alexandra Road Mural

This mural of Swindon Railway Station is just a few yards along Station Road.

"Hang On A Minute Lads, I've Got A Great Idea"

With Ken White snapping a picture on the left and artwork designer Mike Pringle in the red, the assembled crowd of officer workers, Alexander House tenants and BMW staff look on.

I like to think that Mike Pringle, the designer of the artwork that now adorns the side of Alexander House, said the above phrase before sketching the plan for the design!

The much talked about artwork was unveiled by a couple of abseilers in appropriately windy conditions just after 11am this morning. It was heartening to be amongst a big crowd, with media, councillors, office workers, the Mayor and Mayoress, the designer Mike Pringle, Swindon legend Ken White (had a great chat with him whilst we waited), plus a lot of passing shoppers down below in John Street, along with a few Community Support Officers. Everyone was snapping pictures.

The second mini can be seen in it's blue cover on the roof.

The artwork is easily the biggest piece of installation artwork in Swindon and is instantly recognisable. 

The question now, is what will be the next piece of public art in Swindon, and which building will it go?

Swindon's Murals Make Right Royal Return

A new mural to Swindon's best-kept-art-secret collection has just appeared in the town centre! Above an office on the corner of Temple Street and Commercial Road, it's full of colour and has a royal theme.

In the sun, against a blue sky, the colours really stand out.

Swindon needs a new generation of murals, on houses, walls and offices. Who's with me?

Swings and Roundabouts

The artwork project for Alexander House has started!

Consisting of a couple of fibreglass minis and road-markings, the back of the town centre office building will become very eye-catching!

Come On Swindon!

A piece of artwork to showcase Swindon Town's appearance at Wembley on Sunday is being produced right now on Swindon's Whalebridge roundabout.

Mark Amis started off this morning drawing out from the plan produced by BBC Wiltshire after Graham Mack (the station's breakfast show presenter) wondered whether we should paint the town red for the big match.

Black & White Beauty

Click the image for a closer look.

This image was taken a few weeks ago, just developed and scanned ; from loading the film, right through to darkroom development and scanning, there's nothing quite like real photographic film!

Advertising Applications : Artsite Campaign

The dramatic lighting from the National Trust building does most of the work for us! Click on the image for a closer look. 

Art and access to art are not 'added extras' in life and should have the same importance placed upon them as essential services for a society.

So how do you change the perception of art as an 'added extra' and for a niche of people?

In a localised advertising campaign that uses the locations as much as the artwork themselves to challenge preconceptions and ask questions, that's how!

As part of the Advertising Applications unit fellow student Ed Howell and I took an advertising campaign for the Artsite Post Modern Gallery from conception through to execution, and all points in between.

The mixture of light and textures at Wharf Green suits The Green Man sculpture. Click on the image for a closer look.

Initial ideas highlighted the theme of hidden art in Swindon, that locally much goes on, but above the surface some people may struggle to realise the scale and depth of activities.

In short, we wanted to show how art in Swindon is on your doorstep - by putting it there.

For the full set of images from the campaign, click on the link to the right, or here..

Links

Artsite Post Modern Gallery : http://artsite.ltd.uk/

Ed Howell : http://edwardhowellphotography.wordpress.com/

Heathrow's Hidden High-Flying Artwork

I took the time last week to find the carefully hidden public artwork at London Heathrow's Terminal 5.

Between the multi-storey carpark and terminal building are a set of interconnected courtyards. Peaceful public spaces, planted with Plane Trees and up lighters, they make a nice contrast to the mass of passengers in the terminal building. At either end of the courtyards there are complimenting pieces of artwork, two walls, each with a semicircle of three letter airport codes of places served by flights from Terminal 5.

The North end wall was the most impressive (though it does not light up like it's southern neighbour), the black marble gave a great reflection in the afternoon light of the terminal building.

Richard Rogers-designed terminal has many design elements from an earlier building of his, the Millennium Dome. I took some film pictures of these and of the vast public space inside. More of that to come when they're developed!

If you've a little time at Terminal 5, take a walk outside to the quiet courtyards, you'll be impressed by this public airport art.