“Artsite and the postmodern is an artist led group and has studios and a gallery complex in Theatre Square Swindon. They are developing a creative hub in Number Nine, with a variety of workshops, events and Handmade Swindon.” Â
Vicky Silver, one of the doyennes of the Artiste and the Postmodern set-up gave me a little tour of some of the studios – 15 in all I recall – in what used to be a post office.
One of my favourite pieces was the chair or throne? I absolutely loved it but I my picture, quickly snapped on my phone, doesn’t do it justice. I really, really want that piece!
But anyway, don’t take my word for it, pop in and see for yourself. What with this and the Old Town gardens artists group  and the recent temporary Second Mouth  project, there is just so much artistic activity going on in Swindon.
I really must start carrying my camera around with me. These are taken with my phone and they won’t always come up bigger? I dunno why. It’s beyond me. Iny my defence I hadn’t planned to go in there today – I just happened to be passing. But anyway, they give a flavour.
Artsite and the work they do is a huge asset to Swindon and a rich part of the town’s cultural landscape.
See also, in relation to Artiste and the Postmodern – the post you see below about new murals in Swindon – one of which is on the side of the Artiste, Theatre Sq building. And it’s so joyful.
I refer to Billy Beaumont’s work: Then, When and Now.
1.The great pyramid of Egypt 2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon 3. The statue of Zeus at Olympia 4. That well-known temple of Artemis at Ephesus 5. One mausoleum at Halicarnassus 6. Rhode’s Colossus … 7. .. and the lighthouse of Alexandria.
But you might not be aware that, straddling these two lists of wonders to be beheld, there exists another set: The Seven Wonders of Swindon.
Oh yes indeed. As compiled by : ‘the Swindon Ministry of Information in association with the City Council and the Swindon Special Committee for Wonders.’
 I refer of course to the Seven Wonders of Swindon as created by the author Jasper Fforde, well known for creating alternative worlds that ‘blend SF, fantasy and literature amongst other genres.’
One such parallel universe is set here in Swindon. Where, as this article from Swindon Webexplains, “Swindon a place of wit, intrigue and weirdness, where literature’s more popular than football, history is not as we know it, reconstituted dodos roam the parks, mammoths ruin your flower beds, and Thursday Next, literary detective, has to save the world.”
The Double Helix of Carfax
The reason for mentioning all this is that one of Swindon’s 7 wonders, No 3 – the Double Helix of Carfax, is earmarked for demolition as part of Swindon’s regeneration plans.
“Only just pipping the Railway Village to the number three slot, Swindon’s famous and groundbreaking early design in stressed steel concrete laid the groundwork for Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gaudi and many others. Designed by Swindon University physicist Alvin Suggs in 1893 as a friction compensated slope to study Galileo’s theories of conservation of momentum, ‘Sugg’s Marble run’ as it became known gained unexpected fame in the new and untried building technique of steel reinforced or ‘stressed’ concrete.’
So Swindonians the question is this: If the town does lose its world famous Double Helix of Carfax is there anything in the town worthy of taking its place as the 3rd wonder of Swindon? Debate is called for.
Visitors descend on Swindon for the annual-ish Fforde Fiesta. The loss of this third wonder will leave a dent in their itinerary.
NB: Wonder No 5, The Statue of Vavoom at the Bus Station you’ll recognise as the late actress Diana Dors, whose statue can be seen as part of the West Swindon Sculpture trail.
I just love social media! One of my Twitter and blog followers sent me the photo of the Portrait Bench South Marston Cycle Path that you see at the bottom of this post. And that’s fab. Being a non-driver and bogged down in studies I don’t get to all four corners of our town.
What you are looking at is piece of public art that is also a handy bench: a perfect marriage of form and function indeed! But not just any old bench.
This here is a Portrait Bench. So now, not only do I know about this lovely bench, I also know about the concept of portrait benches and a little bit more about Swindon’s history. And it started with a Tweet!
“The Portrait Bench is a new and unique national collection of local portraits.
The figures are inspired and chosen for their individual contribution to the life of the community.
Creating portraits is an old custom. Portraits honour individuals for their philanthropy, political prowess or acts of heroism. And, most commonly, for the love of family members.
All major public spaces are graced by statues or portraits of eminent individuals. And family photos are treasured across the world.
Each Portrait Bench is a collection of three distinctive, life-size local figures cut from sheet steel and installed by a simple bench. They invite you to sit or step up into the space and become a part of the portrait group. The features of each character have been simplified while retaining their essential characteristics.
The characters reflect those things that are important to the community. Each is inspired by the local heritage, culture and aspirations of the area. Some we’ll know and some we won’t. Together they will represent around 230 characters chosen by thousands of people from across the UK”
The Three Figures
The three figures you see here are representatives of some aspects of Swindon’s rich heritage. The chap with a barrel on his shoulder is representing Arkell’s Brewery, established in 1843 and still going strong.
The man in the centre serves as a homage to Swindon’s rich railway heritage, glimpses of which you can see in a couple of my other posts:
The third figure is a WWII airman. He’s there in tribute to the part that Swindon played in producing the Spitfire – arguably the nation’s most famous aircraft.
The factory that contributed to the Spitfire production was located in South Marston. Hence the fitting inclusion of an airman on this portrait bench.
Portrait Bench on the South Marston Cycle Path – Photo from Jess Robinson
Sustrans
The creation of this portrait bench and the cycle path on which it’s located is part of the Sustrans Connect2 project.
“Sustrans’ Connect2 project has transformed everyday travel for communities across the UK by helping them to choose healthier, cleaner and cheaper journeys.
 The project has created new bridges and crossings that overcome busy roads, rivers and railways. It’s made a link to networks of walking and cycling routes, making it easier for millions of people to walk and cycle for everyday journeys‘.
Alexander House Minis public art – A Mini Adventure in Public Art
Note – this piece of public art no longer exists: January 2021
A Mini Adventure in Public Art
Swindon is blessed with loads of public art which is, in my opinion, really rather terrific. I’ve written about a lot of it on here, in particular the West Swindon sculpture trail. And, I have to say, I love this. It’s quirky and fun and clever. It’s a brilliant homage to a car partly made in the town and the roundabouts for which Swindon is both famous infamous. The  Magic Roundaboutin particular.
‘A team of abseilers from specialist aerial engineering company SkyTek (UK) Limited, has turned the back of Alexander House, in Fleming Way, into a gigantic, road-themed artwork.
The project came about after an article in the Link Magazine dubbed Alexander House as an eyesore for the town. Something that upset manager Rachel Hampson.
The winning entries inspired designer Mike Pringle, 50, of Old Town, to create the six-storey artwork using some of Swindon’s icons as a theme. With roadsigns representing the Magic Roundabout and two fibre-glass MINIs loaned by MINI Plant Swindon. One of which once adorned the side of the factory in Bridge End Road.’
Here’s a couple of pictures I took with my phone.
Monday 17th February 2014
And now, courtesy of Mike Pringle of Green Rook  – are a couple of much better photographs. Thanks Mike for letting me share this photographs of this fun and funky piece of public art on here:
Coate Water Art Deco style concrete diving platform given listed status
Coate Water diving platform The now-defunct 1935 Art Deco style diving platform at Coate Water invokes a fair amount of nostalgia in me. As a child, we sometimes visited Langold Lake (5 miles the ‘other’ side of Worksop). This was a large country park thing – my memories are hazy as it was MANY years ago now. But I recall a swimming lake with a diving platform in it.
Now I’m not saying that the diving platform there was exactly like the one at Coate Water, but the whole thing of the lake and the swimming is evocative. There was also a childrens’ outdoor bathing pool at Langold and getting to go in there was an enormous treat.
They state the following reasons for listing the 1935 diving platform:
Rarity: it is one of only four inter-war concrete diving platforms known to survive in England;
Architectural and technical interest. It’s a good example of a 1930s re-enforced concrete diving platform. The design features an elegant, cantilevered design constructed to the latest technical innovations to achieve an optimal diving performance;
Historic interest – unlike most diving platforms, it’s associated with a lake (reservoir)landscaped to provide important outdoor sport and leisure facilities in Swindon during the 19th C and early 20th C.
Degree of survival: despite the loss of its railings it has survived mostly intact.
The Borough surveyor, JBL Thompson, completed the design in 1935. A year earlier Thompson designed the Art Deco style concert bowl for Swindon’s Town Gardens.
Fancy Diving
The Historic England website gives us some fascination information about the diving platform:
The commemorative booklet records that the official opening of the diving platform took place on 22 June 1935. During the ceremony, the diver, Miss Cicely Cousins (later that year became the national diving champion) gave a demonstration of ‘fancy diving.’ Hot on her diving heels were exhibitions by Les and Bram Tomkins.
The new platform, it seems, had full compliance with the safety regulations laid down by the Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA). Ergo, the wisdom was that here Swindon had the safest platform available at the time.
FINA was founded in 1908 and continues to be the international governing body of swimming, water polo, diving, synchronised swimming and open water swimming.
I rather like the idea of the ‘fancy diving’ by Miss Cicely Cousins – I would like to have seen that!
The shape of the diving tower at Coate Water meant that the boards could be staggered so as to give sufficient headspace for the diver. And the varying platform heights also allowed for all year round diving, taking account of the changing water levels.
From the late C19 there was boating on the water at Coate. By 1900 a number of boathouses had sprung up at the north end of the reservoir.
1921 saw the erection of a wooden predecessor to the concrete one at the lake’s north end. It was surrounded by a swimming and diving area separated from the lake’s main body by timber boards.
By the 1930s the site featured a small Art Deco style outdoor bathing pool and fountain – now long gone. As is the children’s paddling pool – there’s now a splash park on that site.
