ROMAN COINS sandblasted and deep carving on two sides of 11mm glass  200 x 900cm - 2001 PUBLIC ART COMMISSION BERKELEY HOMES AND TOWER HAMLETS,   LONDON 1999~2001 A new building, Prospect Tower, was to be erected in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Under the percentage-for-art scheme, the developers, Berkeley Homes, approached me to design a piece of modern art to be installed at ground level, in an external wall. During my research I discovered that, according to a descriptive manuscript of Londinium (Roman London), Prospect Tower was to be built on the site of a Roman cemetery. Berkeley Homes agreed with my initial proposal that a Roman theme would therefore be most appropriate for the art work. There are three main elements to the design, the first being the use of Roman coins. The coins link with the City of London of today, being the major financial district that it is, and the fact that the location of the new building is so near to the old Royal Mint site. Weaving gracefully throughout the panel, and contributing a hint of nature, is the second design element: Selected, stylised, details from the elaborate acanthus scroll which decorates marble panels on the Ara Pacis Augustae, an altar to Peace, envisioned as a Roman goddess, in Rome. In Roman art, the acanthus leaf scroll was used as early as AD 9 and  remains popular in decoration today. The third design element delicately provides an overlay or background, gently pulling the entire design together. For this I used part of an ageing mosaic floor that ties in nicely as an architectural relic. The mosaic motif incorporates a classic pattern of interwoven strands, known as a guilloche , probably the most common of all mosaic designs which can be seen on sites all over the Roman Empire. All three design elements are circular in nature, which as well as enticing the eye around the panel in a pleasing fashion, also reflects the circular areas of design of Prospect Tower. By combining both deep and shallow carving, with shading and textural effects on both sides of the 11mm glass, a dramatic effect was achieved with mercurial shadowing and 3D illusion. The art work is lit to dramatic effect and so can be enjoyed by passers-by, night and day. Beverly Bryon - Prisms Glass Design Fabricated and installed by Daedalian Glass Ltd. close window