Above: The artist with 'Sun' maquettes. Below: The John Pounds Centre
Below: Arundel Street, Portsmouth
Freemantle Pavillion
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Pete Codling's website has recently been redesigned, with a new 'Flash Player' image gallery of various sculptures and landmark projects. In order to improve this website, Pete Codling would appreciate your feedback on this redesign - please use the 'Contact Pete Codling' link to return your comments, suggestions or technical queries.
Sun Commission for Bognor Town Centre
Bognor Regis Town Council and Arun District Council have commissioned the artist Pete Codling to make a landmark sculpture celebrating the ‘sun’ for the town centre. The seaside town can boast the most hours of sunshine in the UK on average.
Pete will be working Bognor Regis Community College in Febuary and talking to local residents about his ideas. The sculpture will be installed in autumn 2006.
Photo: Artist with early maquettes of 'Sun Sculpture'
Artworks for Weston Shore Tower Blocks, Southampton
Five artworks for the entrances of the Weston Shore Tower blocks have been commissioned by Southampton City Council as part of a refurbishment of the 60’s entrance lobbies. Pete will work with local children from the Oslo, Copenhagen, L’Havre, Hampton and Rotterdam Towers.
Pete Codling will be holding workshops for the 'lobby art project' at the Sure Start Commuity Room in Foxcott Close. The five artworks will be installed in May 2006.
John Pounds Community Centre, Portsmouth
The new community centre in the heart of Portsmouth is now open and the artworks complete. The building replaces the old Victorian School with a purpose built community resource with everything from a café and laundry to a sports hall, library and Area Housing Office.
The 19th century name sake John Pounds is one of Portsmouth’s most interesting historic characters. As a skilled tradesman in the dock yard he fell into a dry dock and had to retire. He then worked as a cobbler and began teaching and clothing the young street children leading to the start of the Ragged School movement, one of the foundation stones of our current education system. Most of the external artworks have been inspired by this cobbler’s tale and foot prints and foot lasts have been used in the paving and seating designs.
The community has built the centre on the philosophy of Healthy Living and art has been considered as integral to this overall theme. Hand-carved wooden bollards reflect other themes of regeneration, the human condition, food and the harbour wildlife whilst architectural panels celebrate colour and holistic healing.
The courtyard garden uses large stone features and a sensual planting scheme. Heavy steel profiled gates and twisting wrought ironwork holding stones celebrate the local industrial and craft history of ship building and dockyard trade.
All of the external furniture was offered to the artist for interpretation and the result is a unique collection of bespoke tree grilles, carved bollards, seating, gates railings and paving details. The artist worked collaboration with the landscape architect Nigel Ford and the architect John McIntyre (Capita Symonds Ltd) for their client Portsmouth City Council. Click here to see the artworks:
Arundel Street, Portsmouth
The street has won a national award, receiving a Gold certificate from the BCSC (British Council Shopping Centres) for the environmental improvements. The street also features in December’s issue of the ‘Green Spaces’ magazine published by the Landscape Trust. Follow this link for more information and images
Freemantle Pavilion, Southampton
CABE Space's forthcoming publication, ‘Parkitecture’, aims to make people think in fresh ways about the potential of park structures. The Freemantle Youth Pavilion has been selected to feature as one of the 12 case studies and features in the CABE Calendar. Earlier this year it was given a Community Safety Award from the Home Office. It was previously used on the front cover of their 360˚ education magazine and was recently featured on Radio Four’s programme You & Yours.
(CABE is the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment).