Cromer Prospect

Artist's Description

The Bicentenary of the first recorded lifeboat in Cromer was celebrated in 2004. In the two hundred years of the history of the lifeboat in the town there have been over thirty lifeboats including the inshore boats. Twenty-four principal boats have been identified as the subject of this part of the promenade commission, which is situated on the 'apron' approach to the pier on Cromer Seafront promenade below the Hotel de Paris.

The artwork celebrates each of the principal lifeboats of Cromer. Twenty-four granite 'standing stones' are positioned in an arc defined by the existing approach to the pier. Each stone is dedicated to one of the twenty-four lifeboats and each stone is placed along a line looking out to sea, pointing in the direction of a rescue by the named boat. The array is accompanied by a compass set into the ground from which lines radiate along these points. The design is based on the compass aboard the R.L. Bailey at the Lifeboat Museum.

The elliptical form of the stones is boat shaped and is also based on the R.L. Bailey. The stones are all 75cm high, which means that people are able to sit on them. Made of silver grey granite, the stones have a smooth vertical surface and polished top, the colour and fine grain of the stone responding well to the changing qualities of coastal light. Each stone is lit by two lights, set flush into the paving, to up-light the leading edges of the oval forms with a focussed ray of golden white light. The lights relate to the beacon of fire that burned on the church tower before the first lighthouse was built at Cromer. A golden light is planned to be installed on the corner of the church tower where the beacon was placed.

Each stone is accompanied by the name of the lifeboat, the name of the ship rescued, the date of the rescue and the number of lives saved. These details have been cut and inlaid into the granite radial lines set into the paving by the typographer Ray Carpenter in a unique font that he has designed for use in Cromer as a part of the overall arts project.

The flint pebble walls of the ramps below the Hotel de Paris have been up-lit with brush strokes of slightly varied tints of very soft coloured light to animate these beautiful, textured structures, introduce luminosity into the area and connect the upper and lower levels of the seafront. This illumination is atmospheric in feeling and in keeping with natural coastal light, having a presence in the changing light of dusk as well as after dark.

Technical information:

The feature lighting of the textured granite cliff wall use a palette of six colours in dichroic glass filters.

The coastal environment and the very public location resulted in the selection of a fibre optic lighting system. Nine fibre optic light generators are coupled to seventy luminaries using 450 metres of safe and efficient glass fibres.

The electrical service to the light generators is controlled by an astrological time clock.

Each of the granite plinths is feature lit at each end of it's elliptical shape by two 1watt LEDs. Each light is set in the granite surface at the base of the plinths.

Credits:

Cromer Prospect was managed by Commissions East on behalf of North Norfolk District Council, with support from the Arts Council England Lottery Fund.

Client:		North Norfolk District Council
Visual Artist:		David Ward
Lighting consultant:		ACT Consultant Services
Project Manager Charter Landscape Architect and Contract Administrator:		Connell Mott MacDonald
Main Contractor:		R G Carter
Photograph:		Shaun Ruffles

Specialist Equipment Manufacturers:

Light Projects supplied the Roblon fibre optic lighting system for the cliff walls lighting and the Auraled Ledstar 1 burial light for the granite plinths

Teversham Engineering made the specialist housings for the Light Generators and for the burial Fibre Optic luminaries.

Friar Street, Reading

Dwelling is part of Reading's Art at the Centre Programme and artist David Ward has worked with Reading Borough Council's Landscape Architect, David Moore, to contribute ideas towards changes to Friar Street, one of Reading's key town centre streets.

The project has light at it's core and from January 2005 pedestrians could gaze upwards, away from the busy activity of the street, to see brightly lit, stained glass panes installed into the upper windows of selected buildings along Friar Street. The title Dwelling combines meanings of somewhere to live, with the act of reflecting on, or thinking about something.

Ward and Moore identified a number of buildings of architectural and historical interest (and in some instances particular windows within them), which they wanted to draw attention to by the addition of lit panes of coloured stained glass.

Project participants include: The Town Hall, Blandy & Blandy Solicitors, Marks & Spencer,
Alison Smethurst Health and Wellbeing Centre, Haslams Estate Agents, Blackwells
Bookshop, Shipleys Amusements, MFI, London School of Management, Cookseys Chartered
Surveyors, Mann Countrywide Estate Agents, Oasis Europe Corporate Finance, Specsavers,
Office Angels, Hickies Music Shop, and Greyfriars Church.

David Ward also worked extensively with lighting designer Chris Baldwin of ACT Consultant Services who developed the illumination of these windows from the inside, in order to intensify their unique colours from the street. The glass panes are illuminated by especially made light boxes each controlled by an astronomical clock and using high intensity, low energy, long-life fluorescent tubes to create a consistently bright glow. They punctuate the street with irregular points of light and colour, analogous to a musical stave.

Catherine Wilton, Lead Councillor for Culture and Sport has said: "David Ward's collaboration with Reading Borough Council's landscape architect, marks a significant contribution to the redevelopment and focus of this central street in Reading. Dwelling draws upon Friar Street's unique history and has been made possible through the enthusiastic and committed response from Friar Street's local business community. The project will resonate both now and for years to come."

The stimulus for Dwelling is Friar Street's connection with architect Sir John Soane, who was born in Reading. Part of Soane's original rectory stands at one end of the street and adjacent to the other is a monument designed by Soane. David Ward was particularly interested in Soane's use of coloured glass and his key design theme was to light the two significant stained glass windows at either end of Friar Street - The Waterhouse Chamber at the Town Hall and the southern side of Greyfriar's Church.

This project has been made possible in part by a grant to the early stages of the collaboration from the Royal Society of Arts Art for Architecture Scheme.

Notes:
The Friar Street Environmental Improvements Scheme project links the recently restored nineteenth century Museum and Art Gallery in the east end to what will be Reading1s largest purpose built development - the Chatham Street Project - in the west. Friar Street has interesting mixed use including retail in the east, residential and commercial to the Grade 1 listed Greyfriar's Church in the west. It has always been an important shopping street but has recently suffered from under investment as a consequence of the shift in the focus of the retail area southward toward the Oracle and Broad Street.

Technical Specifications: In order to avoid alterations to the structure of the building, the glass has been constructed as made-to-measure units. The purpose made modular light boxes, incorporate high output low energy 900mm long T5 fluorescent tubes arranged behind a 5mm thick opal Perspex diffusing panel. Each light box incorporates dimmer control and long life electronic ballasts, all targeted to provide the maximum operational life.

Where the particular window shape precludes the use of the modular light boxes adjustable framing spots are used to illuminate an opal diffusing panel immediately behind the coloured glass.

Greyfriars Church and The Town Hall Waterhouse window use high power backlighting from theatrical spotlights using metal halide lamps selected to excite the soft colour in the stained glass. The Clock Tower uses a similar light source with blue colour filtration. The light boxes have been made by, Anytronics Limited. The other lights used are by Selecon Limited.

Art at the Centre: Reading Borough council is one of 3 local authorities selected to pilot Art at the Centre, an initiative launched by Arts Council England. The Scheme aims to involve artists in the regeneration of Reading's city centre, and explores the different ways that artists can influence the spirit of the place in which we live, work and play.

For more information please contact Bobby Lonergan 0118 939 0007

Photography: Rod Dorling Photography.

Sky Lights - Installation at the Cancer Centre,
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham

The title is intended to introduce thoughts and impressions of the sky at different times of day and night.

The squares of blue in twenty-four of the ceiling panels can vary in tone and brightness and may be reminders of a blue sky during the day, or a deep blue sky at dusk or at dawn. The panels are made of stained glass that gives them a particularly rich and full colour.

At the same time there are two photographs in ilLuminated light boxes on the walls that show how the night sky is full of wonderful and beautiful light. One photograph shows the constellation of the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, named after the Seven Graces of Classical Greek mythology. The second image is of the Comet West that was visible in 1976. The pictures were chosen by the nursing staff from a larger original selection of images.

Special thanks to INCA DIGITAL PRINTERS of Cambridge who contributed the printing of the digital images www.incadigital.com

Arts Manager at the Cancer Centre:		Alison Chute
Digital Images:		David Malim
Picture research and assistant to the artist:		Kerry Duggan