Swindon Archive News
Swindon steel and glass sculpture to rival Angel of the North
Exhibition to show designs of new public art work combines with aerial photos taken by Link magazine
(click here for more aerial photos of Swindon)
A giant panorama of North Swindon taken from a balloon at the end of May with other aerial pictures of the area will be on display at the Haydon Centre and the North Swindon Library.
Alongside will be a exhibition for a proposed sculpture to create a northern gateway to the town, exclusively revealed in the August edition of Swindon Link magazine.North Swindon residents are being asked to give their views on special exhibitions at the Haydon Centre between 27 and 31 August and also at North Swindon Library between 2 and 19 September.
The proposed 40 foot tall sculpture, which is subject to planning permission, will be located at the major road junction that joins Thamesdown Drive and Cricklade Road.
Councillor Justin Tomlinson, lead member for cultural services and recreation said, "this is a unique design, that will certainly create a high impact vision for visitors to Swindon."
The new sculpture is being designed by London based architectural and design practice, Softroom. The project has been commissioned by Swindon Borough Council's Artscape with £94,000 of funding from the Priory Vale consortium of house builders. The Priory Vale consortium has supported the Council's Percent for Art scheme which encourages developers to allocate funds towards the commissioning of site specific contemporary artworks.
Celia Yeoman, Swindon Artscape Manager, who is leading the commissioning of the sculpture on behalf of the Council, described the design as an aluminium clad stainless steel and glass structure. She said: "It has three sides, each one being slightly different to reflect the different road layout of the three approaches to the junction. A metallic outer surface will reflect atmospheric changes during the day, and at night, the structure will give quite a different emphasis through the designers' use of internal lighting."
Pink coloured, pre-shattered glass is being included in the design to reflect the flowers of the local Green Winged Orchid, Orchis Morro, which thrives at the Haydon Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western edge of Priory Vale
Lorraine Palmer, for the Priory Vale developer consortium, said, "at Priory Vale we are not just building houses, we are creating a whole new community with new schools, a shopping park with library and sports facilities, plus a village centre and plenty of open space for people to enjoy. That's why we're proud to be supporting the council's initiative to bring a beautiful and dramatic new work of public art to Swindon."
The Junction 1 sculpture will be put before Swindon Council's planning committee on 22 September. The designs, alongside The Link's aerial photographs of North Swindon can be seen at:
Haydon Centre
North Swindon Library, North Swindon district centre
o Swindon Artscape presents a broad range of professional arts, including exhibitions, educational workshops, festivals, concerts and public art. The manager of Artscape is responsible for delivering the Council's percent for Art scheme and works with Council officers and developers to commission new artworks for the town.
o Swindon Borough Council's Percent for Art policy encourages developers to allocate a proportion of the capital costs of developments to works of art. It has resulted in one of the UK's largest collections of public art 52 works in total.
o Priory Vale is being developed by a consortium made up of Bloor Homes, Bryant Homes, Crest, Nicholson, Westbury, and George Wimpey. The development has been named one of the top three new villages in the country in Your New Home 2002 awards and came second in Swindon Borough Council's Quality of Life Awards.
o Artpoint is a public art commissioning agency, working with visual artists and craftspeople throughout the South East. It commissions works that respond to specific sites. These are often developed in collaboration with other creative professionals, from architects and engineers to writers and scientists. Artpoint is core funded by the Arts Council of England, South East, and aims to extend the contribution art and artists can make to the environment.
o Softroom is an architecture and design studio with a fluid approach, matched by a commitment to quality and innovation. In addition to a growing portfolio of original built projects, the scope of their work extends to other media and disciplines, both current and developing.
Web links:
Click here to see our spectacular pictures over West and North Swindon
Exhibition to show designs of new public art work combines with aerial photos taken by Link magazine
(click here for more aerial photos of Swindon)
A giant panorama of North Swindon taken from a balloon at the end of May with other aerial pictures of the area will be on display at the Haydon Centre and the North Swindon Library.
Alongside will be a exhibition for a proposed sculpture to create a northern gateway to the town, exclusively revealed in the August edition of Swindon Link magazine.North Swindon residents are being asked to give their views on special exhibitions at the Haydon Centre between 27 and 31 August and also at North Swindon Library between 2 and 19 September.
The proposed 40 foot tall sculpture, which is subject to planning permission, will be located at the major road junction that joins Thamesdown Drive and Cricklade Road.
Councillor Justin Tomlinson, lead member for cultural services and recreation said, "this is a unique design, that will certainly create a high impact vision for visitors to Swindon."
The new sculpture is being designed by London based architectural and design practice, Softroom. The project has been commissioned by Swindon Borough Council's Artscape with £94,000 of funding from the Priory Vale consortium of house builders. The Priory Vale consortium has supported the Council's Percent for Art scheme which encourages developers to allocate funds towards the commissioning of site specific contemporary artworks.
Celia Yeoman, Swindon Artscape Manager, who is leading the commissioning of the sculpture on behalf of the Council, described the design as an aluminium clad stainless steel and glass structure. She said: "It has three sides, each one being slightly different to reflect the different road layout of the three approaches to the junction. A metallic outer surface will reflect atmospheric changes during the day, and at night, the structure will give quite a different emphasis through the designers' use of internal lighting."
Pink coloured, pre-shattered glass is being included in the design to reflect the flowers of the local Green Winged Orchid, Orchis Morro, which thrives at the Haydon Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western edge of Priory Vale
Lorraine Palmer, for the Priory Vale developer consortium, said, "at Priory Vale we are not just building houses, we are creating a whole new community with new schools, a shopping park with library and sports facilities, plus a village centre and plenty of open space for people to enjoy. That's why we're proud to be supporting the council's initiative to bring a beautiful and dramatic new work of public art to Swindon."
The Junction 1 sculpture will be put before Swindon Council's planning committee on 22 September. The designs, alongside The Link's aerial photographs of North Swindon can be seen at:
Haydon Centre
- Wedneday 27 August to Sunday 31 August inclusive, 10am - 10pm daily.
- Wednesday 27 August 6pm to 8pm. Meet Swindon Borough Council's Public Art Officer Celia Yeoman to discuss the proposed sculpture.
North Swindon Library, North Swindon district centre
- 2 September to 19 September inclusive
- Mondays closed
- Tuesdays 10am - 6pm
- Wednesdays 12noon - 8pm
- Thursdays 10am - 6pm
- Fridays 12noon - 8pm
- Saturdays 10am - 4pm
- Sundays 12noon - 4pm
- Wednesday 3 September, 2pm - 7 pm. Meet Caroline Rabourdin from London based architectural designer company Softroom who have been commissioned by the Priory Vale Development Company and Swindon Borough Council to create the North Swindon gateway sculpture.
- Saturday 13 September, 12noon - 4pm. Meet Swindon Borough Council's Public Art Officer Celia Yeoman to discuss the project.
o Swindon Artscape presents a broad range of professional arts, including exhibitions, educational workshops, festivals, concerts and public art. The manager of Artscape is responsible for delivering the Council's percent for Art scheme and works with Council officers and developers to commission new artworks for the town.
o Swindon Borough Council's Percent for Art policy encourages developers to allocate a proportion of the capital costs of developments to works of art. It has resulted in one of the UK's largest collections of public art 52 works in total.
o Priory Vale is being developed by a consortium made up of Bloor Homes, Bryant Homes, Crest, Nicholson, Westbury, and George Wimpey. The development has been named one of the top three new villages in the country in Your New Home 2002 awards and came second in Swindon Borough Council's Quality of Life Awards.
o Artpoint is a public art commissioning agency, working with visual artists and craftspeople throughout the South East. It commissions works that respond to specific sites. These are often developed in collaboration with other creative professionals, from architects and engineers to writers and scientists. Artpoint is core funded by the Arts Council of England, South East, and aims to extend the contribution art and artists can make to the environment.
o Softroom is an architecture and design studio with a fluid approach, matched by a commitment to quality and innovation. In addition to a growing portfolio of original built projects, the scope of their work extends to other media and disciplines, both current and developing.
Web links:
| Home | Latest Swindon News | Archive | What's On in Swindon | Swindon Links | Advertising | About Us |
| Copyright 1999 - 2005 Swindon Publications Ltd. Website design & management Rubber Dragon Limited. |