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Local community to create mosaic for new Birmingham University …

A mosaic is being created for the new [1] railway station in [2] building in time for its opening later this year.

Residents of the local community, staff and students of the [3] of [4], and patients of the adjacent Queen Elizabeth II Hospital are being invited to create clay tiles that will be featured in the finished artwork.

University Railway Station
Birmingham University Railway Station. // Credit: [5] Rail Executive

Clay tools, letters, or any other items will be pressed into the clay to create tiles made up of patterns, words or shapes.

Once they have been fired, the tiles will be assembled to create a mosaic that will depict a logo for display at University railway station.

When it is complete, the mosaic will become a lasting piece of art that represents the local people, the University, and Queen Elizabeth II Hospital for many years ahead.

New buildings are being constructed as part of a major redevelopment to replace outdated facilities at the station. The station is nearing completion and will have a greatly increased passenger capacity once finished.

Maud Milton and Artyface Community Art were commissioned by the [6] Rail Executive and [7] to produce the mosaic.

They specialise in community-led public art and have previously created and installed mosaics for many schools and railway stations in London.

Anyone who wishes to create a tile can attend a free pop-up session at the Teaching and Learning Building in the University’s Edgbaston Campus on Tuesday, 6th June between 3 pm and 6 pm where they will be able to print their own clay tile.

Further information about the pop-up session is available on the West Midlands Rail Executive website[8].

Birmingham University map
Birmingham University station map. // Credit: [9]

Families, local residents, and community groups recently created a similar mosaic for Perry Barr railway station, also in Birmingham[10]. That mosaic is going to be installed and unveiled in the next few weeks.

During the 1960s, public art mosaics became part of Birmingham tradition when the Queensway Ring Road was built.

In July 1968, a mosaic memorial to the American President J. F. Kennedy was designed by Kenneth Budd and erected outside St Chad’s Cathedral but has since been demolished when the road system was redeveloped in 2007.

However, a new version of the mosaic was created in 2013 and installed in the city’s Irish Quarter on Floodgate Street in Digbeth.

References

  1. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  2. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  3. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  4. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  5. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  6. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  7. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  8. ^ West Midlands Rail Executive website (wmre.org.uk)
  9. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  10. ^ a similar mosaic for Perry Barr railway station, also in Birmingham (www.railadvent.co.uk)

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