Thursday 12 December 2013

GWR MOSAIC BACK IN BRUM

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MOSAIC IS BACK

OK, SO IT'S A BIT SMALLER THAN THE ORIGINAL 300FT LONG MURAL




BUT THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MOSAIC IS BACK IN SNOWHILL JUST UP THE ROAD FROM THE ORIGINAL SITE.

AN EXACT REPRODUCTION SHOWING THE HISTORY OF SNOWHILL STATION AND THE DIFFERENT ENGINES AND CARRIAGES OF THE GREAT WESTERN NOW SITS HAPPILY IN THE NEW SNOWHILL PLAZA ON THE STEPS LEADING UP TO THE STATION COMPLEX.

Thursday 28 November 2013

MEANWHILE,,, BACK TO JFK

50 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE JFKs DEATH, 

So it's inevitable that the mosaic memorial we re-created early this year in Digbeth, Birmingham has again received the attention of the press.

Most journalists, I am pleased to say, see the memorial's return to the city as a positive move, but there has been one true pedant who is querying the dates on the left hand legend panel.

So to make clear, this work is a faithful facsimile of the original work made by my father Kenneth in 1967/8 and at the time the dates of Kennedy's presidency were cut in stone to flank the original mosaic work.  They read 1960 - 3.  

When a party win the election here we naturally consider that moment of winning as the moment that party becomes government and that person becomes leader.  Technically Kennedy was not inaugurated until 1961 but he did win the vote to be president in 1960.

It is also the common opinion, promoted by websites such as Wikipedia (who have my dads birthdate wrong), that the mosaic was taken down from its site in St Chads, then six years later re-located to the Digbeth site, as in "put back together"

This was not the case.  The original work was disassembled and a few key portraits were stored in my studio, where they remain today.

The original Smalti mosaic material had been so "etched" by the wind-borne dusts of the city over its forty years in St Chads, that the material had become compromised and was not fit for re-siting. We also retained the original carved quartzite lettering panels that "bookended" the original.  The new mosaic was re-made by me in its entirety using dads original full scale drawings.

Still, lucky I kept those lettering panels as I was able to dig them out earlier this week to confirm those pesky dates!!

Here they are for you to view.

Thursday 10 October 2013

!!!!GWR STEAMING AHEAD!!!!!

WORK ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY MOSAIC CONTINUES APACE WITH NEARLY ALL SECTIONS COMPLETED READY FOR INSTALLATION LATER THIS MONTH.







PLEASE NOTE THE LITTLE BOY IN PRAM WITH TOY LOCO!!!!

Sunday 6 October 2013

THE CHARTIST MOSAIC - A STATEMENT

THE CHARTIST MOSAIC
NEWPORT CITY WALES



"It is with the greatest sadness that I learnt today that the destruction of the Chartist mosaic has begun.  Whilst I wish the City of Newport all economic and environmental success with its new development I know that many will regret the loss of this major landmark, commissioned by people with great vision and created by my father Kenneth with the greatest care and skill to educate and enhance the community.

I would like to thank everybody who showed concern for this work and who attempted to preserve it.  I know that nobody of sound judgement willingly destroys great art and that there is always a valid rationality for a decision of this nature.  It is possibly a case of doing all the wrong things for all the right reasons"

Oliver Budd 


From the lost work:  Kenneth holds the body of his dying son


Wednesday 11 September 2013

NEW WORK ON TRACK

Work has begun on the re-creation of Kenneth Budd's Great Western Railway mosaic.

The original work once dominated St Chad's pedestrian concourse in Birmingham city centre.  By the 1990's this area was a desolate place so developers have given the site an exciting overhaul.

As part of that scheme it was decided to celebrate the original work by having a facsimile of the complete work made.  Instead of the original 300ft x 20ft monolith the new work will be a fraction of the works original size but will be faithful to the design.

The photos below are the first few weeks work showing the early navigation works to the line and the first engine, the Lord of the Isles. 






Tuesday 9 July 2013

DARTH VADER SHOWS HIS COMPASSIONATE SIDE!!

David Prowse (aka Darth Vader) 

 Today unveiled the mosaic I made with stroke victims in Croydon


The (un)cloaked terror of the Dark Side was in a positively light mood as he "cut the ribbon" to celebrate the work of the Croydon stroke group who created the mosaic in just three two hour sessions



The mosaic now graces the Physiotherapy Department  reception area at Croydon University Hospital 


Great work everybody!!

Tuesday 11 June 2013

SYDENHAM CENTRE MOSAIC COMPLETED

ONCE A TIRED COMMUNITY CENTRE
(albeit with an attractive flower stall!)


COVERED UP READY FOR ITS MAKEOVER


NOW TRANSFORMED!


PROUD PARENT



LARGEST ROUNDEL 2m DIAMETER (CRYSTAL PALACE) ALL THE OTHER ROUNDELS DEPICT ELEMENTS FROM SYDENHAMS PAST, FAMOUS PEOPLE AND PLACES


ALL LINKED TOGETHER WITH IRIDISED MOSAIC THREADS



LEON WASHES WALLS AND WINDOWS WITH DE-IONISED WATER



Friday 31 May 2013

HAND-CAST LETTERING INSTALLED - SYDENHAM

WE HAVE BEEN BUSY SETTING THE HAND CAST BRASS LETTERING IN PLACE TODAY.


THESE SHINE WITH A LOVELY "HAND-FORMED" LUSTRE BUT WILL ONLY BE SEEN PROPERLY WHEN VIEWED FROM BELOW, TWO STOREYS DOWN.



THE LETTERS LOOK GREAT AGAINST THE WAVY TILING.

TALKING OF TILING OUR EXTRA 20 METRES ARRIVED TODAY TO COMPLETE THE WORKS HOPEFULLY NEXT WEEK.

Friday 24 May 2013

SYDENHAM TILEWORK COMPLIMENTS ROUNDALS

WORK IN SYDENHAM PROGRESSES WITH THE COMPLICATED WAVY TILEWORK THAT SURROUNDS THE MOSAIC PANELS NOW ALMOST COMPLETED.


IN THE PHOTO ABOVE AND BELOW YOU CAN SEE THE CHANNELS BETWEEN THE TILING THAT WILL TAKE THE IRIDESCENT MOSAIC LINES THAT LINK THE MOSAIC PANELS



PISSARRO LOOKS AT THE MOSAIC LINES NOW INSTALLLED


JUST HANGING ABOUT!!! (thanks for that Bob!)

Wednesday 15 May 2013

SYDENHAM MOSAIC - ROUNDALS INSTALLED

A FAIRLY EXCITING DAY TODAY AS WE HAULED THE COMPLETED ROUNDELS UP THREE STOREYS TO BE INSTALLED ON THE FRONT OF THE SYDENHAM CENTRE.
LARGEST PANEL SIZE 2M DIAMETER! THANKFULLY NICK HAD THE FORESIGHT TO BRING THE PULLEY SYSTEM!


TOP STOREY - BLITZ AND MUSICIANS


MID STOREY - CRICKET, CRYSTAL PALACE, QUEEN'S HALL AND SHACKLETON


AAHHH!!! KITTENS!

TOMORROW WE START THE TILING THAT LINKS IT ALL TOGETHER

Monday 13 May 2013

SYDENHAM CENTRE MOSAIC INSTALLATION BEGINS


Having spent over a week redecorating the huge windows and entrance area to the Sydenham Centre on Sydenham Road South London we can now begin the work of installing the mosaic roundals and all the tile-work surrounds.

SITE - FIRST DAY - Building seems bigger than I remember


KMD Ashford cut and deliver the aluminium discs onto which we bonded the mosaic roundels


Three of the eleven roundels ready to go - These are 1.5m diameter, so quite heavy!


Curvy tiling starts on the top deck of our three tier scaffolding.  Roundels will be installed this week.

Friday 5 April 2013

LAST ROUNDEL FOR SYDENHAM COMPLETED

I have just completed the final panel for the Sydenham Centre mosaic.  All being well we should be on site to install this work later this month.

To view all the other completed panels take a look at the Public Art page on this site.




Saturday 9 March 2013

KENNEDY UNVEILING

SATURDAY 23RD FEBRUARY 2013
(Photos courtesy of Paul Bull)


JFK MEMORIAL IS UNVEILED BY 
MONSIGNOR P BROWNE & MONSIGNOR J DANIEL Mc HUGH


CURTAIN MADE BY THE TEXTILES DEPARTMENT OF 
SOUTH & CITY COLLEGE BIRMINGHAM


OLIVER MEETS MONSIGNOR J DANIEL Mc HUGH


GUESTS MINGLE!


INTERVIEW WITH ITV


OLIVER PRESENTS MARGARET NANGLE WITH JFK BRASS STATUETTE