THE AWARD-WINNING artist behind Brighton’s Kiss Wall is to create a new public art piece in the city’s Edward Street Quarter.
Bruce Williams’ work, which is due to be installed in a central square at the end of the year, will draw on the area’s historic links to the fishing industry.
It will feature a fishing net with designs and stories inspired by a community consultation which is uncovering residents’ memories of the area.
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Bruce’s installations have appeared across the UK, but his newest work will be in his home city.
His Kiss Wall was installed on Brighton seafront in 1992 and was nominated for the Working For Cities national public art award run by the Arts Council for England and British Gas.
Brighton designer Richard Wolfstrome, who has been helping Edward Street Quarter to find the best talent to provide public art, said he cannot wait to see the attention Bruce's next piece receives.
“A consultation, led by Kemp Town artists Daniel Locke and Hannah Chater, is taking place this summer, which will feed into his designs, making this artwork truly part of its local community,” he said.
“This fishing net piece will work in perfect harmony with Cosmo Sarson’s 10m high mural of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.”
Daniel and Hannah have held creative workshops at schools and groups to collect memories of the area.
Steve Eccles, project director at First Base, said the public art will create places to stop and spend time, as well as connecting Brighton’s newest neighbourhood with its heritage.
“We’re so grateful to the residents to have taken the time to be part of the creative process that will go into this piece, and we’re delighted to have an artist of Bruce’s calibre on our team,” he said.
“The scale and quality of the work being delivered by our artists will put Edward Street Quarter on the tourist trail for visitors too as we build on Brighton’s reputation for public art.”
Edward Street Quarter comprises 125,000sqft of space for the city's digital and creative sectors, as well as the wider business community - making it the largest provision of workspace provided in the city since 1993.
In total, 20,000sqft is set aside for shops, leisure and hospitality and 168 new homes are available, including a mix of private and affordable units to meet demand.
The development features three public green spaces, heavily planted with mature trees and an edible garden full of herbs.
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