Giant Paintbrush by Filthy Luker

Location - Birmingham City Centre.

Place - The Bull Ring Shopping Centre.

Physical Space - High above the public on the roof of the Bull Ring, dropping down the side of the building very close to Selfridges to the right. 

Appropriate Materials - Inflatable.

Associated Art Institutions - Designs in Air, City of Colours, The Custard Factory, Arts Council England, Street Art Birmingham Ltd.

Audience - The inflatable art was aimed just to the general public, it was able to grab the attention of people from multiple backgrounds whether or not they're familiar with art culture. 

I have chosen this temporary inflatable installation piece by Filthy Luker simply because of its purpose, which was to be placed at the top of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre as celebration ahead of the City of Colours Festival that took place in September 2014 in The Custard Factory, Digbeth. I love that it was used as a form of advertisement, in a medium that isn't sometimes traditional in advertising events; unlike using posters, flyers, banners, the internet, newspapers ads etc.

As it states on the City of Colours website, the purpose and aims of the festival was to "bring together over 100 artists, who will transform Digbeth into one of the UK's largest outdoor art galleries.".

"Aimed at all ages, graffiti, dance and music workshops will be happening throughout festival - everyone will have the chance to get involved. The event will reflect the vibrancy of its people and its places and the team hope to bring together different communities from across the city."

- City of Colours Street Art Festival 2014.

Source:

http://www.cityofcolours.co.uk

Image Sources:

http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/creative/giant-paintbrush-added-birmingham-skyline-7666812

http://www.schudio.co.uk/blog/2014/city-of-colours-birmingham/

24.02.15 - Tutorials

To do

I need to actually focus my work on something that is of true interest to me because if I'm not enthusiastic about it then the audience won't feel enthusiastic either.

I shall look into a different site-specific work that I'm genuinely intrigued by, in every sense of the word.

I also need to be doing practical work alongside researching at the same time, to avoid not getting enough ideas down before making a final decision.

The Area of the JFK Memorial

In relation to where the JFK memorial is situated, I have started to consider the importance of the geographical space of where it is placed within Digbeth.

Here's an image to get an idea of the space I'm referring to:

The images below show the space that I can imagine my final proposed work being:

I've started to grow an interest in the location that sits above the River Rea and nearby the Custard Factory. These would be good subjects to consider for the final piece that I'll design up adjacent to the current mural.

The River Rea is one of the oldest rivers in the West Midlands but it is often hidden away from view due to the industrial build and expansion above and around the river. This has made me consider researching more into the River Rea itself as an iconic feature overlooked in Birmingham.

The Custard Factory is known all over the country for its dedication for creative arts and crafts. It provides work spaces for digital businesses and artists as well as hosting various independent shops, bars and cafes. As attractive as the Custard Factory is in its modern day form, I would like to research further back into the times of when it was indeed a custard factory, constructed by Sir Alfred Frederick Bird, the son of Alfred Bird who invented egg-free custard.

A brief look into the history of Digbeth

Digbeth

Digbeth provided a vital route for travellers and trade from the towns to the east, such as Coventry. Although centuries ago, travellers had to work their way through the floodplain of the River Rea to get access into Birmingham. During the Anglo-Saxon times, at some point a bridge was built for a better access route into the Bull Ring market due to the River Rea flooding quite often.

It is not clear as to what the meaning of the name "Digbeth" is but it seems to include the Anglo-Saxon word dic. In Old English, also in modern English, the word "dyke" is defined as an artificially-dug ditch or an embankment alongside a ditch. It is possible that the name "Digbeth" means "dyke pools", although the word implies a relation to bathing.

Digbeth had become Birmingham's first industrial district from the Middle Ages, this was a time when the air was filled with the smells and sounds of leather tanneries and iron foundries.

Source:

http://billdargue.jimdo.com/placenames-gazetteer-a-to-y/places-d/digbeth/

Presentation Evaluation

Looking back to what I was talking about, I spoke quite a bit about the Irish culture in Digbeth and how even though JFK doesn't have any links to Birmingham itself, they've got a strong passion of using JFK as a figure to look up to. That's what my initial question was towards to this piece, why is there a mural of JFK here in Birmingham, England?

Now that I have an understanding that this mural is purely for the memory of an Irish role model, and also that the creation was funded by the Irish population of Birmingham, I shall take the focus elsewhere in response. I support the decision to have a role model for the Birmingham Irish, but I feel that for those who aren't Irish and live in Birmingham possibly wouldn't receive the same impact as it would to those who can relate.

My proposed site-specific art will be a bold representation of the area and its provisions, making a symbolic stance to those who travel to Birmingham. Something that says "This is what we provided and we're proud of what we did for Birmingham".

What to do before the next tutorials

• I shall research more into the area of Deritend/Digbeth and what these areas have historically provided for Birmingham.

• Look into what materials and objects were created in the trade industry, as it was a big part of Birmingham's economy.

• Then moving from there, I'll know what my context will be for the design of my proposed art work and how it will be made and placed, in relation to its meaning.

J. F. Kennedy Memorial (Birmingham, England)

Commissioned by the Irish community of Birmingham, this mosaic mural by artist Kenneth Budd was originally erected on St. Chad's Circus nearby Birmingham's Roman Catholic St. Chad's Cathedral in July 1968. The cost of the creation of this mosaic mural came to £5000.

Since the road system was redeveloped in 2007, the mosaic was demolished with various pieces of it remaining in satisfactory condition that were recovered by Kenneth Budd's son, Oliver.

It was then recreated in 2012 using brand new Smalti mosaic tiles, disregarding the original tiles from before as their colours were faded in contrast to the new vibrant tiles.
Smalti are hand cut opaque glass tiles used in richly-coloured mosaics that were used in the times of Renaissance Italy and the Byzantine Empire.
The memorial is situated within the Irish Quarter of Birmingham in Digbeth, adjacent to the High Street Deritend so it catches the attention of drivers on the main road as well as people walking up and down Floodgate Street.

What I propose to do in response to this mosaic, is to create a piece to go on the wall underneath the current memorial. The piece will be a display of the Irish workers who put their dedication down for the city of Birmingham and its economy. The illustration will be made of a material more familiar to Irish workers in Birmingham to emphasise on the context more.





Image Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._F._Kennedy_Memorial,_Birmingham#mediaviewer/File:JFK_mural.JPG