A Triubute to History and Tradition
Look up when you're in Milward Square and you'll see the 20th century's largest publicly commissioned work of art in Britain, the Kingfisher Mosaics.
What is Mosaic?
Mosaic is decoration with small pieces of colored glass and stone and has been used throughout history as an art form. The Kingfisher panels show that it can be used to great artistic effect. Paolozzi's imagery fuses the traditional with the progressive, taking easily recognisable characteristics and symbols of Redditch and the surrounding area. By the end of the 19th Century, Redditch dominated the world as the centre of needle making.
A creative overview
- The twelve mosaic panels each measure 21ft by 10ft
- Created by the late and great Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
- Commissioned by the Redditch Development Corporation
- Unveiled on 19 April 1983 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and Sir William Rees-Mogg, then Chairman of the Arts' Council
The Inspirations
- Paolozzi paid tribute to the history and tradition of the town
- Needle-making, needle packets, and the industry's machinery feature heavily throughout
- Later important developments of fish-hook manufacture and spring-making are also highlighted
- The mosaics also feature component manufacture for the aerospace and motor-cycle industries
Paolozzi softened the industrial theme by including images of nature, the environment and current affairs to embody the period in which they were created.
About the Artist: Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (1924-2005)
Paolozzi was born in Scotland, the eldest son of Italian immigrants. In June 1940, when Italy declared war on Britain, Paolozzi was interned. During his internment, his father, grandfather and uncle (who had also been detained), were among the 446 Italians who drowned when the ship carrying them to Canada was sunk by a German U–Boat. Eduardo studied at the Edinburgh College of Art in 1943, briefly at the St Martin's School of Art in 1944, and then at the Slade School of Art from 1944 to 1947.
Largely a surrealist, he came to public attention in the 1960s with a collection of stunning screenprints and, as a founder of the Independent Group, is recognised as a major influence on the British pop art movement. Later in life he was better known as a sculptor and became the Her Majesty's Sculptor in Ordinary for Scotland in 1986, holding the office until his death.
In addition to the Kingfisher mosaics, his works include the mosaic patterned walls of the Tottenham Court Road tube station, the cover of Paul McCartney's album Red Rose Speedway, the “Piscator” sculpture outside London's Euston Station, the “Inventions” sculpture on London's South Bank and “The Manuscript of Monte Casino” located at the head of Edinburgh's Leith Walk, looking towards Paolozzi's birthplace.
Awarded the CBE in 1968 and elected to the Royal Academy in 1979, Paolozzi received his Knighthood in 1989. In 1994 he gave much of his collection to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Seven years later, Paolozzi suffered a near–fatal stroke. Illness confined him to a wheelchair, and he died in April 2005. The National Galleries of Scotland opened the Dean Gallery to display his collection, and the gallery displays a recreation of the artist's studio.
Make Your Own Mosaic!
Making a mosaic is a rewarding way of creating a unique work of art! There are a few terms you need to know: the pieces of material used are called 'Tessera' (pl. tesserae). The spaces in between are named 'Interstices'. 'Andamento' describes the movement and flow of the Tesserae. For much more, visit: http://www.inspiredmosaics.co.uk.
