Page 13 - RNT-C06

The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town

The Paolozzi Mosaics

The Paolozzi Mosaics are twelve
huge panels each measuring 21’
x 10’. They are located upon the
four walls of Milward Square in
the Kingfisher Shopping Centre,
Redditch. They were unveiled by
Sir William Rees-Mogg
(Chairman of the Arts Council of
Great Britain) on 19th April
1983. They provided the
backdrop for the visit of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in
July of that year. Paolozzi chose
the exact glass tile colours to be
used, in consultation with a
resident mosaic artist.
A master pattern was made for each panel and each colour was coded for assembly.
Interlocking numbered sheets were individually hand-made and numbered following the
patterns, and the sheets were used for fixing and grouting the panels. It took three
craftsmen, based in Birmingham but originally from Spilimbergo, two weeks to install the
work.

One of the aims of the Paolozzi Mosaics, according to the artist himself, was to provide
‘a centrepoint to the living theatre of the shopping centre’. Vast, colourful, impressive
and entertaining, they succeed endlessly - a public artwork that is literally above and
beyond a mere gallery. The panels are not meant to be a narrative or didactic work, like
an academic ‘history’ painting – there is no need to look for a deep meaning. Like Paolozzi,
we should revel in the colour and exuberance of the work, possibly recognising some
familiar images, but also enjoying the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the unexpected,
the immediacy and the vivacity for its own sake. The work is a great example of
contemporary, non-judgemental, visual communication as well as being, paradoxically,
an example of ‘high art’ by an internationally renowned artist.

The Paolozzi Mosaci Panels in
Millward Square.

If you look closely at this image
you can see Paolozzi himself in
the bottom left of the image back
in 1983 admiring his own work.

Page: 151