Media Centre

Artists Rob Colbourne and Stuart Mugridge

Produced by National Express, implemented and managed by EC-Arts

In essence the boundary fence of the Coach Station will be public art with both form and function. Spanning the 181 linear metre perimeter and visible from various location it will immediately impact on the public in the improved aesthetics of the local area. Described as a ‘Fencescape’; in that it is not ‘one object’ but an array of related features – a landscape of relations. The old station’s interior candidly exposed its raw industrial construction. Aiming to maintain that authenticity, the boundary fence explodes this raw grittiness outwardly to the edges of the apron, the old interior becoming exterior.

The fence will be made of individual vertical strips of metal that lean and so change shape as one moves around the fence. From passing it at different angles and perspectives, it can seem to be solid, and through your own movement gaps appear between haunches. Through this it aims to embed the notion of the language of a station and public transport, symbols that promote travelling in a space of transition. ‘Boundary’ artistic intervention was part the planning conditions set by Birmingham City Council.

The Site

EC-Arts produced and advertised the artist brief to call for submissions in May 2008 with support from Angela Swann of the Arts Council England. Following the selection process artists Rob Colbourne and Stuart Mugridge were appointed as lead artists.

Research and Development
Phase 1 demanded a ground up research approach to understand the histories and content of the site. Through community consultation and on site studies to inform the design process and how public art/artist involvement can feed into and be integrated within the stations ‘architecture’ (i.e. form and functions - everything that the station is, its physical structure, the event, actions and processes surrounding and within it.) An important aspect of the brief was to avoid creating an irrelevant piece of art, but to let the symbolic importance of the station and the significance of Digbeth in the history of Birmingham become the influences that informed the artists public art concept. The research and development process identified many themes to consider, the overarching theme being balance and flow – balancing the identity of the existing communities with the flow of visitors and changing landscape through regeneration. The artists were asked to investigate the station site and Digbeth’s local character resulting in a series of artworks that would reflect the symbolic importance of the site as a destination/entry point to the city and also represent the strong community heritage of Digbeth.

The DPAP recognised Local Authority initiatives and that Birmingham is ..”..a city with a million voices” (Councillor Mike Whitby, Birmingham City Council) with this in mind the artists have worked to develop concepts that are readily accessible to all as well as sympathetic to the wider community and supportive of existing policies within the area.

The DPAP seeks to satisfy public art advice and guidance, which outlines the opportunities in this urban regeneration context.

“Public art should be site-specific; not only with reference to geographical or physical concerns but also considering the human and social context, both of which are crucial to the delivery of a sustainable artwork, be it permanent or temporary. Contemporary public art practice must be about both the place and its people.”
Public Art in Birmingham Eastside (2006, BCC)

Phase 2 Design Development - The lead artists worked with project team; SBS Architects, GoringBerry, ACIES, EDCM, Ashfords Construction, Birmingham City council Planning and National Express staff to develop ‘Balance and Flow’ concept.
The following programme was developed for the second phase:

• The realisation of the Boundary fence commission as identified in phase one.
• A new public art commission for the Irish Quarter – utilising the gable end of the building adjacent to the Coach Station.
• Lighting strategy for the Boundary Fence and Coach Station.
• Further workshops and events with local people, artists and wider public to inform the work being proposed and a seminar to discuss the public art process as a live project and learning opportunity
• A Film commission to document the process which would be situated within the new Coach station waiting area as a permanent installation.

Above; ‘boundary’ prototype lighting test

The 'Boundary' fence is being fabricated by X-tra Weld Ltd, a family concern founded in 1994 (www.xtraweld.com).

Glyn Durston of Xtraweld has been closely involved within the design development of the 'Boundary', Glyn's knowledge, expertise and years of experience in the business has contributed enormously to the final artistic commission.

‘Boundary’ Artist Statement
Rob Colbourne & Stuart Mugridge

1. Industriality, Digbeth and the coach station.
The boundary ‘fencescape’ – that it is not ‘one object’ but an ‘array of related features’ – a landscape of relations. In effect the individual components aim to provoke a sense of intrigue, whilst creating other effects holistically throughout its structure.

The old station’s interior candidly exposed its raw industrial construction when looking upward to the ceiling. Aiming to maintain that authenticity, whilst reinterpreting this into something new, the boundary fence explodes this raw grittiness outwardly to the edges of the apron, the old interior becoming exterior, following the ethos of this re-development.

2. Forms and the Directionality of Weight.
Merging the old station’s identity and that of the forms of a weighbridge, the individual components that make up the boundary, perhaps, in effect turn the whole site into a kind of weighbridge, where people are loaded and unloaded.

*These individual components also lean, playing with their own notion of centre of gravity, the horizontal and vertical. They are formed by folding a flat sheet into a 3D form, in itself something that can balance. This fold allows us to experiment in how the structure can lean up to its ‘tipping point’.

This leaning gives us notions of architectural balance, or something that implies a moment of rested potential movement.

3. Solid and Slitted structure; Movement and Flow.
The boundary is about the experience of it, not necessarily the object itself. From passing it at different angles and perspectives, it can seem to be quite solid, though your own movement, gaps appear between haunches. From entering at another angle, the L shaped haunch allows for a ‘slit’ to open up that allows visual access to the apron. This references the iron ‘slitting’ process of the Lloyd’s mill, previously linked to the site whilst embracing the notion of ‘motion parallax’.

The L shaped haunches placed side by side have a unidirectionality that allows for a different effect depending on the angle of approach. Through this it aims to embed the notion of the language of a station and public transport, symbols that promote travelling in a space of transition.

4. Transparency
The gaps between haunches are quite important. As a fence it requires no horizontal element to hold it together. This in effect created a continuous vertical gap that can suggest that the boundary invites you to visually experience the space beyond, whilst at some points it seems comparatively solid.

Indeed, through our research in this area we have noted that Digbeth is full of glimpses into workshops, factories and so forth, through grilles, fences and shutters. However often fences and other restrictions can seem hostile and separating public and private space in quite an unfriendly nature.

The boundary fence both aims to maintain this character, but not the sense of restriction and negativity associated with that. Therefore we can see and experience what goes on in this area in a friendly way, reinterpreting the important identity of the area and visually blur the notions of the public and private space.

5. Colour and Finish
The boundary fence and its components, of an industrial nature would lend themselves to a contrast in their colour and treatment. This treatment can echo the way Avery’s products were treated, as both raw functional objects, with also a sense of the ornamental. These practices in ‘japanning’ (a type of enameled gloss finish) and the tensions between an industrial structures being finished in this way begin to merge and echo the sensibilities of the place.

The use of Red as a colour shouts loudly through the site’s history. Used in decorating Avery’s weighing apparatus, it also became a motif for the site’s occupation by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited - also known as Midland Red, who aimed to ‘Paint the Midlands Red’ with their fleet.

In the same vein this colour would be very recognizable as a king of alternative signage, and links to other symbols that can be integrated within art involvement at the station.

6. Lighting
The modular nature of the boundary lends itself well to a lighting system of the same nature. Rather than a wash of light across the whole fence haunches will be lit individually to establish a framework of visual rhythm. Lighting would be set incrementally using groupings related to the avoirdupois system of weight i.e. using a more imperial system of division.

Like the milled divisions on a pre-decimilisation ruler the lit haunches will be divided into more imperial subsets of 2s and 12s. Imagine every other haunch lit white and every twelfth lit red – the eye of the viewer measures its progress along the expanse of the fence, or measures the movement of coaches against this backdrop. This division although inspired by weight also begins to reference distance as it highlights senses of movement and progress.

Through careful lighting the boundary fence will establish a balanced interplay between light and shadow – through the use of shadow the lighting becomes more effective. From the street side of the boundary the passer-by will have highlighted glimpses into the station as the view inwards becomes revealed and concealed with every passing step. Again progress will be reckoned as the spilt white light is incrementally replaced by a glow of red light.