Launch party!

With the art-work finally in place, it was time to celebrate all that the community had achieved with Kay Aplin, our artist-in-residence 2009. 

And so, on Tuesday afternoon, everyone who had been involved with the project in any way was invited to a launch party at the site on the Hemmingwell. 

Among those present was the Mayor of Wellingborough, Councillor Peter Morall, Councillor Graham Lawman , Councillor Bhupendra Patel and Councillor Martin Griffiths, who are all either represenatives on the Hemmingwell or have an interest in planning and regeneration. The Mayor attended in his official capacity, complete with chauffeured car! 

The mayor said: "This is a superb use of tiles and mosaic. It works for what it is. I am a great believer in street art. I have been very impressed by all the people who have worked with such time and energy on this project."

Council Lawman said: "This was a no-go area. It was depressing and dull. The art-work is fabulous. The bright colours are great."

We were delighted to see friends who have featured on the blog, including Kay Rogers from the Well cafe, Elaine and Gerry our tilers, Vanessa Forbes who is Extended School Manager at Sir Christopher Hatton School, plus police community support officers, including our helpful friend Chris Howard. Children from the local schools who had been involved in the designs were also invited. The Hope project laid on fantastic food in the Community Centre and the Mayor gave a short speech.

Paula Armstrong, arts officer for Wellingborough council and organiser of the event, said: "The project is an important part of the work being undertaken by a partnership of community organisations and public agencies with the aim of improving the area." 

In other words, there's more to come for the Hemmingwell!

Some coverage of the launch in the local press here. 

Thanks to everyone who came!

Here come the birds

Here's the final art-work, in place on the Hemmingwell estate, hopefully for years to come.

A great time was had by everyone attending the launch today, including the mayor of Wellingborough. More pictures and words to come, very soon!

Hard at work!

As promised, here are some more images of Kay and our tilers hard at work putting the mosaics in place on the Hemmingwell estate. The whole process took place over 3 days, with breaks for cement to dry and the weather.

As you can see, safety was important and the tilers used scaffolding to make their job easier. Not only did the mosaics have to be fixed in place and backing paper sponged off, but they also had to be grouted and then carefully painted around to look super-neat.

If you're free next Tuesday afternoon, why not come to the launch and see the birds for yourself? Check out the invite. All welcome and, of course, hemmingwellartist will be there.

You are invited!

And finally...

Mr Sandpiper having his beak cleaned by Kay, our artist!

More images next week... :-)

Meet the community: tilers

Elaine and Gerry Cameron are tilers. Together they form 'GH Maintenance and Repair', a local Wellingborough firm. They've been in business for 25 years and specialise in tiling kitchens and bathrooms, especially for the elderly. Four weeks ago, they received a phone call asking them if they'd like to install a piece of artwork...

Elaine: We got a phone call about four weeks ago asking about this project from a friend who works at wellingborough Homes. Our children go to the same school together. It was a complete surprise.

Gerry: Our friend asked, 'would I be able to do a mosaic?' I said, 'of course.' We had no idea of what shape or size it was going to be. We've done mosaics before, but only in people's homes. We were nervous before we started and before we'd seen the mosaics. This is my first artwork.

Elaine: We thought it was a great thing, though. It's about trying to lift the area and the children are involved in that. We thought that was such a good idea. They need good things here.

Gerry: I spoke to Kay Aplin, the artist, to find out more. She explained what it was and we weren't so apprehensive. We asked Kay to make some templates, which she did, so that we could position the birds exactly. We used rapid-drying cement-based adhesive to stick the bird mosaics to the wall. You can buy it from any hardware store. But you do have to be so careful with mosaics like this, as bits can start dropping off them. When we lifted up the mosaic pieces, we realised how weighty they are.

Elaine: Once we got going on the work, we were OK. The mosaics are really exciting and colourful. It is fun to work on this. The shapes are all different and the grouting is fine work. Kay is so clever and so patient. It takes a long time to cut out shapes that detailed. It's beautiful.

Gerry: Yes, we love the artwork. You have to sit down and cut out all the individual pieces by hand. We're really pleased with how it's going so far. It's visible to the whole neighbourhood, as they use the shop.

Elaine: All of them have been saying how much they love the artwork. Children and teenagers have been asking us, "where's the bird my street's named after?" Children in push-chairs can touch the artwork, 'cos the sandpiper is low down on the wall.

Gerry: Their only worry seems to be about other people vandalising it.

Elaine:The best thing has been the feed-back from the children. Seeing their faces and them saying, "I did that!" They feel people care and want good things for them. One Dad came down as we were working and said, "My son did that!"

Thanks to Elaine and Gerry, whom Hemmingwellartist met at the Well cafe on the estate this morning. Hope you enjoyed your breakfasts and thanks for the piece of toast, as I was rushing!

Making a public art-work

Ever wondered how to create a public mosaic? Kay explains what she did in the later stages of the creative process - from choosing mosaic tiles to fixing them to a wall.

"In my studio I tried to match the colours the Hemmingwell children had chosen for their designs with the kinds of mosaic tiles available," says Kay. "My supplies are Azzura tiles, which I get from Waxman. I go to the local tile shop with my sample chart and order them directly. They are the brightest tiles available - amazing, beautiful, bright colours - and for external use. The tiles are porcelain and fired to 1300 degrees, so they're completely frost-proof and durable."

"You buy the tiles by the sheet," she continues. "How many sheets you use depends on how big your project is. For this project, I probably bought about 40-50 sheets of tiles. I have an assistant who helps me cut out the tiles. The largest bird in the Hemmingwell mosaic is about two metres at its widest point."

"I took the children's designs to a print shop, where they were blown up to the appropriate size. I then transferred the designs to strong, brown paper - the kind you use for wrapping parcels," remembers Kay. "I stuck the mosaic pieces to the paper, but with the right side of the tiles facing down, using watered-down PVA-glue. It's important to remember you're working in reverse. The paper holds the tiles in place."

"Each bird took about three to four days to complete," she explains. "Once completed, I drew around each bird on stiff, white cardboard. These were the templates for use in positioning the final mosaics. That done, I cut the designs into sections to make them easier to handle and to transport. I loaded the mosaics onto hardboard and transported them in my van."

"On site, I drew out the precise shape of the mosaic on the wall using my templates," she says. "We filled up to the edges with tile adhesive/cement and stuck the mosaics in place. Depending on the weather, tilers often need to mix fresh batches of cement."

"The cement takes 24 hours to 'go off properly," continues Kay. "Once it was dry, we peeled off the brown backing paper, using just water and sponges. Then we needed to grout the birds. We used grey grout, and also went around the edges of birds to seal them and make them waterproof. The final job was to paint around the edges to neaten it all up. Now that they're in place, they look great!" concludes Kay.

Work in progress

Kay at work (c. H. Jaeger)

Great news! The mosaic artwork is now going up on the Hemmingwell estate.

Work started yesterday to fix *six* finished mosaic birds to the exterior walls near the subway and shops on the estate. Our artist, Kay, transported the artwork in her van from her studio in Brighton, ready to assemble on site. Local tilers put up scaffolding and helped to place the birds on the walls. Once in place, the birds were affixed using a cement solvent.

Children living on the estate had chosen and sketched out several bird designs. These have been used for the final mosaics. There are are a sandpiper, a falcon, two kestrels, a gannet and a sparrow-hawk. The birds reflect the street-names found on the Hemmingwell.

The work will take three days to complete. That includes grouting and a final clean. To check on progress, head down to the Hemmingwell to see for yourself!

A launch takes place in approximately ten days. Details to follow. Everyone welcome!

Cafe chat

Kay Rogers is the cafe manager at 'The Well', a former converted pub at the heart of the Hemmingwell estate. Hemmingwellartist caught up with Kay for her personal view on the cafe, her job and the estate.

Hemmingwellartist/HA: What do you most enjoy about your job?

Kay Rogers/KR: I really enjoy meeting people from the estate. It is a privilege that you can get to know them and their lives, the good times and the struggles. We have lots of laughs in the Well, and a few tears, too. If you were in a cafe in town, you'd probably only say 'hello'. There is a real family feeling here. If there are people on their own, they can come here and know they have someone to talk with.

HA: How is the cafe run?

KR: The cafe is owned by the Hope project, which runs a church on the estate. There are 35 adults who go to the church on a Sunday. The project is run on a shoe-string. I do things like goto the cash 'n' carry supermarket to buy food for the cafe on my own time. But I do this because I love my job. Being part of a Christian organisation feels like working in a family. We have very good volunteers and many come from the community.

HA: How many people do you serve on an average day?

KR: We probably have at least 75 people through our doors on an average day and we're open 9am-1.30pm every day. We have our regulars, who say 'my usual, please'. Some dinner-times can be full. It's quieter in the school holidays, as we have lots of single Mums who meet here, but they take their children out during the holidays. We have a play area for the kids, so the Mums can chat. We try to keep our prices at an affordable level for everyone and we encourage healthier eating.

HA: What's the most challenging situation you've faced at the cafe?

KR: We had a lady who cleaned here for us. Her baby died at eight months. People don't like talking about death. We held a gathering after the funeral at the cafe as our gift to her. We're thrilled now that she's pregnant again.

HA: What do you think about the artist-in-residence project?

KR: The cafe looks out over the area where the artwork will go. I think it's a good idea. It will brighten up the whole area and that's a good thing. Lots of people congregate in that area and want to feel safe.

HA: What does the future hold for you and the Well?

KR: I like working with the community. I don't live here, but I was part of a youth club on the estate for 11 years, before I got this job as cafe manager. I hope to do this job until I retire. It's not a stop-gap thing for me. People have the wrong view of this estate. We've had no trouble in the cafe. Everyone is treated equally. There are some wonderful families here.