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.

Cafe Culture

At the centre of the Hemmingwell estate is a square where the new art-work, when it's finished, will go. The Oakway school-children said they wanted to improve this central area when they completed their original police questionnaires - which led, in part, to the creation of our artist-in-residence project.

Around the centre sit a general shop, fish and chip place, brand new community centre and a community cafe - the latter two are both run by the Hope Project. The Hope Project appears to be a real force for regeneration in the area.

The cafe is called 'The Well Cafe' and used to be a derlict old pub, 'The Swallow.' It's now a lovely airy space, which doubles as a one-stop shop for community info and help.

Wellingborough Council, describing the work on the cafe, say:

'The HOPE Project bought out the lease of a run down public house situated in the heart of the community. They have raised funds and converted it into a magnificent community facility. It employs 11 people with an additional pool of 12 volunteers drawn from the local community. Importantly the renovation project ensured that the majority (60%) of the work was contracted locally. All members of the local neighbourhood, but in particular young people, were encouraged to help with the renovation.'

Here's what I found when I peeked through the cafe doors recently...

In one corner of the cafe is a community noticeboard and leaflet space. In another is a play space for babies and toddlers (Mums find it a great place to gather and gossip). There are about 14 square tables and chairs. I visit on a day when the tv on the wall is playing a DVD of a recent community event. There's even an internet point.

It's clear this is more than just a cafe. The Credit Union (micro finance) visits on a Tuesday. There're job-advice workers and health-trainers who come to the cafe, too. Plus a cancer awareness lady has agreed to drop in regularly.

The cafe promotes local services, including the police, fire services, Surestart, nurseries and other specialist, community-focussed services, such as to women experiencing domestic abuse. Family Support workers are upstairs and anyone can make a free appointment to see them. There's also a fully trained counsellor, should anyone need one.

Of course, none of that takes away from the fact that this is a cafe. An affordable cafe, it might be added, where the friendly volunteer, who has learning difficulties, serves me a great, piping-hot cup of tea for just 50p.

Next time, I only half-joke, I'm coming for lunch, too - with toasted sandwiches at just £1 and a great atmosphere, it sure beats my local Costa.

Read my interview with cafe manager, Kay Rogers, in my next blog post!

Meet the community: Extended Schools Manager - part 2

Part 2 of our interview with Vanessa Forbes from Sir Christopher Hatton school, working with the artist-in-residence.

'The Hemmingwell estate has really improved over the last five or six years,' Vanessa, whose own children went to Hatton school, continues. 'Things are improving. The artist-in-residence is part of that ongoing improvement. We all feel it is necessary to have something of real quality at the centre of the estate. We hope this is it.'

As part of the work with Kay, our artist, Sir Christopher Hatton school organised an 'Art Morning' (see Creative Kids parts 1 & 2 blog posts). The children talked about designs, made drawings and played around with scale.

'The kids that were chosen to participate all came from the Hemmingwell,' remembers Vanessa. 'At first, they couldn't understand why they'd been chosen - they didn't see themselves as the 'best' artists, but they soon got into it. Many hadn't realised the streets were named after birds. It was fun for them to see pictures of the birds their streets are named after. The children had a great time.'

'We're all looking forward to the installation of the artwork,' continues Vanessa. 'I hope the artwork will be a centre-piece for the estate to be proud of. It will be good for the children to remember they were a part of making that and involved with the project, as they grow up.'

Extended Schools co-ordinators are part of a government initiative, linked to the Every Child Matters agenda. All schools are due to have one in place and to be part of a Community Cohesion Plan. Vanessa was part of a pilot scheme at Sir Christopher Hatton. She was so successful, Vanessa was invited to stay on and is now a permanent member of staff.

Upcoming events at Sir Christopher Hatton school include a free computer training course for parents and members of the community. Runs on various dates after school and on Saturday mornings throughout the school year 2009/10. School and home partnerships are particularly important and the school runs a Parents Forum.

For more info on any of these, contact Vanessa Forbes, Extended Schools Manager, Sir Christopher Hatton school - forbesv@hattonschool.org.uk or 01933 226077. More info on Sir Christopher Hatton can be found on their website.

For further information on Children's Services in Northamptonshire, go to Northamptonshire Children's and Young People's Partnership.

Meet the community: Extended Schools Manager - part 1

Today I interviewed Vanessa Forbes, the Extended Schools Manager for the secondary school that's been working with our artist-in-residence. Vanessa works at Sir Christopher Hatton school in Wellingborough. She's been Extended Schools Manager for three years.

Her job involves bringing the local community, school and families together to ensure access to activities for all. Vanessa is keen to help disadvantaged children, in particular, get access to what's going on.

'That may be through something simple like providing money for subs for Brownies or equipment to take part in cricket. We want to give every child the opportunity to be involved with community activities,' says Vanessa, who has a background in community development.

Vanessa works in partnership with other organisations and encourages new initiatives at her school, too.

As part of her job, Vanessa is involved with the Hemmingwell Action Group. With them, she discussed the artist-in-residence scheme on the Hemmingwell estate. 33% of Sir Chrisopher Hatton children come from the estate. (You can see the school itself from the Hemmingwell estate.)

'We're an extended school keen to work with the community. I'm part of the action group, because we all feel it's important we're 'singing from the same hymn sheet', as far as partnerships on the estate go,' explains Vanessa. 'We all want the Hemmingwell to knit together and become a strong community. The action group is great, because we want to take action, rather than just being a talking shop.'

More from Vanessa, Extended Schools Manager, in part 2 tomorrow!

Hope Week and the latest news

Hemmingwellartist is back! For the latest news, we caught up with Paula Armstrong, arts development officer at Wellingborough council. 

Paula says: 

'The designs are chosen and the mosaics are now being created! The designs were chosen from outlines created by schoolchildren at Oakway Infant and Junior schools. Some are one design and others combine two or more designs.'

'Each bird forms a large mosaic panel. Once completed, the six birds will be installed on the wall above the subway entrance for residents and visitors to admire.'

'Kay Aplin, our artist, was in residence at the Castle's studio for a few days from 17-19th August. She was there to welcome any visitors and explain the process she is using to make the mosaics.'

'On the afternoon of the 19th August, Kay visited Hope Week, a week of activities run by the Hope Project on the Hemmingwell Estate. Participants were able to make some of the mosaic birds. The attached pictures give you an idea of the scale of the birds!'

'The panels are now being finsihed. With luck, Kay will return at the end of September to install all six of the birds. However, this does depend on having good weather, so it may stretch into October.'

'Once the birds are settled into their new home, there will be a special launch event, to which everyone is invited, especially all those who have contributed to the design and development of the project.'

So, that's the latest. As promised, we'll keep you up-to-date with progress on the mosaics and introduce you to a few more key people on the Hemmingwell on this blog over the next few weeks.

**Watch this space for the date of the installation. An invitation for you will appear here!**

IMPORTANT: We are still looking for a tiler, who would be willing to install the mosaic on the subway wall. If you are a tiler or know of someone who can help, please contact Paula on parmstrong@wellingborough.gov.uk or leave a message on the blog. Thanks.

Were you at the workshop during Hope Week? What was it like? Feel free to leave your comments.