New Public Art Commission for Southend Town Centre
~ In Progress ~“Focal Point Gallery and Creative Estuary are delighted to announce the commission of a new, major public artwork that will welcome visitors and residents to the UK’s newest City – Southend-On-Sea. Lu Williams’ impactful, ambitious, and fun concept will transform the current, uninspiring ‘gateway’ to the city’s famous High Street, as approached from Southend Victoria and Victoria Avenue.
An unusual and very beautiful source of inspiration behind Williams’ winning idea are Lorenzo Ghiberti’s (1378-1455) doors to the baptistry of San Giovanni in central Florence, Italy. Known as the Gates of Paradise, the huge pair of bronze doors portray scenes from the Old Testament and were themselves commissioned after a competition.
Taking a popular seaside souvenir of a great day out and combining it with Ghiberti’s iconic creations, Williams will also recreate certain aspects and moments of Southend’s history, landmarks and events in the form of monumental fridge magnets, as the artist explains: “Building from the days of Victorian day-tripping to the huge punk music scene of the late 1970s-1980s, with its current status as a new city complete with a thriving arts scene, the relief sculptures (3D images emerging from a flat background) will be positioned on rollercoaster-style tracking, bringing a sense of dynamism to the space and creating an archway that also acts as invitation towards the High Street.”
Further hinting how the finished installation could look, Williams adds: “Cladding the brick walls with painted aluminium will help to give the impression of a large community noticeboard, or fridge front. The magnet-style relief sculptures will be lit by a mix of luminescent fibreglass and interior lighting, so they can also be seen in the dark. Fridge magnets are a curation of our experiences, often kept in the heart of the home, the kitchen, and this theme of bringing together personal experiences of Southend, with its cultural offering to visitors, feels fitting.”
Williams worked with local residents and community groups over 3 months to decide the design and subject matter of the sculptural reliefs.”
Further Info: https://www.fpg.org.uk/project/new-public-art-commission-for-southend-town-centre/
