BERMINGHAM & ROBINSON -

To coincide with Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts, Locws International has commissioned a temporary new artwork for outside Swansea's Brangwyn Hall. The bold, dynamic artwork responds to the magnificent British Empire Panels housed inside the Brangwyn Hall (example shown below).

Exploring notions of empire and heritage, Wales-based artists Robert Bermingham and Richard Robinson's installation highlights and reflects upon Sir Frank Brangwyn's Panels, and brings a contemporary interpretation of some of the themes to Swansea.

Frank Brangwyn panel

Using the British Empire Panels as their inspiration, Bermingham and Robinson have transformed the entrance windows to the Brangwyn Hall into a giant kaleidoscope of light and colour, visible both inside and out, day and night, that evokes the energy and life of Sir Frank Brangwyn's panels held within. This installation brings a new focus of attention upon the panels and by doing so reaffirms their national significance and importance.

Each of the three windows corresponds to one of the panels and by using the same colour palette as the originals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a bold design of coloured vinyl pasted directly onto the windows.

This new installation captures the essence of Brangwyn's original concept and highlights the aspect that brought the British Empire Panels rejection from the House of Lords: his uncompromising vision of the colourful and optimistic nature of Empire. By sharing and working with Brangwyn's ideals, Bermingham and Robinson have created a contemporary artwork using the very same strength of creative independence and determined artistic vision.

Venue: Entrance to the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea Photography: Ken Dickinson

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