<< Public Art
Comings & Goings - Bridget Jones
Flat Fish – Piper James Turner
River God Tyne – David Wynne
Seahorses Heads – J.R.M. McCheyne
Shoulder to Shoulder – Ray Smith
Spiral Nebula – Geoffrey Clarke
Swans In Flight – David Wynne
Untitled – Austin Wright
Untitled – Victor Pasmore
Location – Haymarket Bus Station
Materials – Glass
Commissioned by – Newcastle City Council
A bus station is a place of constant activity as people journey into and out of the City. Comings and Goings by Bridget Jones, reflects this notion in a series of glass panels designed to enhance the refurbished Haymarket Bus Station.
Glass panels have been created from layers of silkscreen images and textures. The images are of nets, sand, roman carvings, bridges and herbs. They show journeys to and from football games, the seaside, our history, and the rivers that dissect our region and our parks and gardens. The textures are of sand, symbolising time. The images and textures have evolved from photographs and prints. Together the panels suggest the floating hull of a ship.
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Location - Sandyford Rd, In front of the Visual Arts
Department of Northumbria University
Materials - Stone
Commissioned by - Northumbria University
The sculpture is a representational carving of a flat fish. The style is very confident and to a considered level of detail. The artist’s background in a Cornish fishing community helped to inspire the sculpture. The sculpture was first exhibited in its present position as part of the artist’s degree exhibition.
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Location - Attached 5m up on the exterior of the Civic Centre
Materials - Bronze
Commissioned by - NCC
The River God is a giant figure with water pouring from his out stretched hand. Originally patinated a dark black colour, the figure has slowly been turned green and brown by the running water. The idea originates from the representation of eight rivers on Somerset house in London. Wynne developed the bearded head into a figure whose sinuous shape contrasts with the modernist architecture.
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Location - On top of Civic Centre Tower
Materials - Cast Bronze
Commissioned by - NCC
Twelve stylised seahorse’s heads mounted at the top of the tower. The seahorse forms part of Newcastle’s crest. The heads are 1.4m high and 1.6m wide. McCheyne was Master of Sculpture at King’s College, University of Newcastle in the 1950s and 60s. McCheyne also produced the now Lost Family Group, which was sited in Shieldfield.
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Location - On the Haymarket around the South African War Memorial
Materials - Concrete Figures with Stainless Steel Water elements
Commissioned by - NCC
Stylised concrete figures link to create a barrier between the road and the space centring on the memorial. The work also includes water features at either end. Despite initial controversy, the work creates a pleasant space within a very busy area.
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Location - Herschel Physics Building
Materials - Steel
Commissioned by - University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Spiral Nebula is a surprising piece. It stands over 10m high in grey painted steel. Viewed from Percy Street it is difficult to get an idea of its scale and it’s well worth getting a closer look. This is one of the oldest works of the modern era sited in the City. The artist also collaborated with the architect of the Herschel building Sir Basil Spence on Coventry Cathedral.
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Location - Central Courtyard of the Civic Centre
Materials - Cast in Bronze
Commissioned by - NCC
The sculpture’s subject is based on the poem The Swans of the North written by Hans Hartvig Seedorff Pederson. The swans represent Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Finland and the strong links between Newcastle and those countries. In September 1997 the new smaller 50p piece was introduced. Wynne sculpted the original image of the nine hands representing the European nations.
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Location - Customer Services, Civic Centre
Materials - Glass
Commissioned by - NCC
Wall sized murals filling either end of the hall, originally the rates hall. Pasmore’s work of the 50s and 60s concentrated on the production of projective relief constructions and murals. Pasmore was one of the most well known British artists of the period. He was appointed Head of Painting at the University of Durham at Newcastle in 1954.
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Location - Sandyford Rd; Hung on the wall of Northumbria University Fashion Building
Materials - Aluminium
Commissioned by - Newcastle Polytechnic
At 19m long the work is abstract depicting the shapes and forms of a landscape viewed from above. Rather than a freestanding piece, Wright preferred the idea of a work which was attached to the wall. The subtle aluminium shapes show Wright’s interest in rock forms and their mass and texture. Wright grew up in Cardiff. He began working in aluminium in the early1960s.
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