Your say / art
‘Bristol’s latest pieces of public art have been an embarrassment’
Within hours of a new sculpture appearing at Temple Meads, there were already memes.
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The characters are Goram and Vincent: the two mythical giants who are said to have created the Avon Gorge.
Their likenesses are on display outside the main entrance to Temple Meads as part of a new marketing campaign by GWR.
If you think the legendary brothers look bad, however, just take a look at the Mermaid of Zennor now on display at St Ive’s:
The Mermaid of Zennor was said to have a beautiful voice – photo: GWR
The arrival of Goram and Vincent at Temple Meads comes as the artwork on the Centre continues to disintegrate.
What once added a splash of vibrant colour on the former fountains now sits forlorn.
Bristol’s latest pieces of public art have been an embarrassment. Perhaps it was for the best that we were not shortlisted to be the UK City of Culture.
The artwork on the Centre is just getting worse and worse – photo: Martin Booth
The next time you find yourself at Temple Meads, make your way to Hart’s Bakery (which should be a byelaw anyway for anyone about to travel by train) and nearby you will see some artwork on the floor which has not washed away.
A recent Freedom of Information request has revealed some interesting comparisons between this floor artwork and the disintegrating Our Common Ground on the Centre.
Molly Mural is behind the floor artwork near Hart’s Bakery which includes this pelican crossing – photo: Martin Booth
The artwork is located near Hart’s Bakery – photo: Martin Booth
The principal difference is that the artwork by Molly Hawkins, aka Molly Mural, commissioned by TCN UK, was made with thermoplastic due to its durability.
Compare and contrast that with the water-based ‘specialist road line marking paint’ used on the Centre.
The FOI request reveals a decision not to install Our Common Ground in thermoplastics due to budgetary constraints.
As Chris McEvoy wrote on his Bristol Uncovered blog: “BCC decided that using thermoplastic was ‘too expensive’, but we now have a mural that cost £61,000 to install and will cost between £3,000 and £5,000 a year to maintain.”
To be fair, Our Common Ground looked fantastic for about one day when it was unveiled in a fanfare of publicity in September:
Our Common Ground by Oshii aimed to “celebrate diverse heritage and vibrant communities” – photo: Under the Wing
As a city of culture, despite not being a City of Culture, Bristol’s public art is just one of a multitude of reasons why we are a hotbed of creativity.
So it’s a huge shame that two of the latest pieces of public art have failed so spectacularly.
This is an opinion piece by Martin Booth, the Editor of Bristol24/7
Main photo: Martin Booth
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