The Birmingham Alliance, a partnership of Hammerson Plc, Henderson Global Investors Ltd and Land Securities, invested £2m in public art for Birmingham’s new Bullring, Europe’s largest inner city retail regeneration development, writes Alan Rossiter.
The programme has enriched public spaces within the scheme, and given expression to Birmingham’s rich cultural heritage.
As public art consultants for the Bullring, Free Form Arts Trust has brought together artists and designers from across the country to create new landmark artworks for the city centre. Free Form’s first responsibility was to present a ‘Blue Sky Review’ to illustrate the possibilities and opportunities for public art within the development. The review helped to demonstrate the way in which the arts could help to promote Birmingham as a destination and as a vibrant multicultural city. The outcome of this review was the commissioning of a public art strategy for the Bullring. Free Form was involved from the very early stages of the development and therefore the incorporation of public artworks was integral to the Bullring’s overall design. We worked in partnership with the management team, architects and landscape architects, as well as creating an interface between the artists and the client.
The iconic bronze Bull by sculptor Laurence Broderick is the centrepiece for Rotunda Square, which is the gateway to the development. From the outset, it was decided that the Bull should not be placed upon a plinth but act as a focal gathering point and a new icon for Birmingham. Among the other major works in the public art programme are Peter Fink’s Sculptural Light Wands. A landmark beacon visible from across the city centre, the light wands act as “three graces” to the Rotunda building and announce the Bullring’s entrance at Rotunda Square.
Other features in the public art programme include Water Features by Gross Max in St. Martin’s Square; a glass artwork entrance feature by Martin Donlin; and works by Birmingham artist Anu Patel along the 24-hour pedestrian route from the Bullring to the station. Small-scale artworks feature throughout, including a craft trail within the fabric of the buildings which local school children helped to inspire and design.
Jon Emery, Project Director for the property developer Hammerson Plc, remarked on the relationship between public art and urban redevelopment. “Public art and creative lighting are important ways of building a city’s character and we felt that an exciting mix of public art which introduced thought-provoking modern pieces alongside historic landmarks was essential to the Bullring experience. The end result is that artists such as the internationally renowned Peter Fink have been given the chance to create highly individual pieces using cutting edge technology, whilst at the same time the area’s heritage has been sensitively restored and displayed.”
Alan Rossiter is Associate Director (Public Art Development) for Free Form Arts Trust. t: 0207 249 3394; e: contact@freeform.org.uk