Eight students from the School of Jewellery and their work are featured on a brand new mural in the Jewellery Quarter train station. Unveiled in July 2021, the artwork is part of the Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District’s (JQBID) Adopt a Station project with West Midlands Railway, and was commissioned by Jewellery Quarter Townscape Heritage project (JQTH).
Now a permanent fixture on platform 2, the mural was created by local artists Barbara Gibson and Marta Kochanek, and highlight the Quarter’s industrial heritage. Alongside images of recognisable Jewellery Quarter landmarks, including the Argent Centre and Chamberlain Clock, the artwork features work created by students at the School of Jewellery to showcase Birmingham’s still-thriving jewellery trade.
Barbara and Marta have a passion for the Jewellery Quarter having previously worked in the area and were keen to celebrate the history of the area: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen to work on the collage and are incredibly excited to now share it with the Jewellery Quarter residents as well as all its visitors. We believe that the eye-catching piece will welcome all those curious viewers and help disclose the known and hidden gems of the area, helping to spread a positive impression of the natural beauty of the Jewellery Quarter.
Our passion for history, heritage and art has developed over the last few years through research and creative visions explored in both collage making and photography. We aimed for a joyful and colourful piece to allow the people of today to engage with the past. The opportunity to work on that piece allowed us to collaborate with students from the School of Jewellery, whose designs have been incorporated into our artwork.”
Paul Bailey-Green, a recent graduate from our HND Jewellery and Silversmithing course, was one of the students whose work is featured in the collage.
“The final piece accurately reflects the Jewellery Quarter’s community and business heritage with its iconic 19th Century buildings interwoven with inspiring examples of jewellery from BCU School of Jewellery students. I feel proud and privileged that my work has been chosen for inclusion.”
(Pictured above) Bracelet designed by Paul Bailey-Green
Dauvit Alexander, Course Leader for HND Jewellery and Silversmithing, praised the artwork: “This is a brilliant idea! It is so good to see the work by the students recontextualised to show it in a fresh and interesting way and to show it as an integral part of the Jewellery Quarter, something as important as the buildings which make the area unique.”
Following a series of temporary art installations, this mural becomes the first permanent artwork delivered by JQBID since they adopted the Jewellery Quarter train station in 2019, and there are big plans for further projects to celebrate the area’s unique heritage and community.
Steve Lovell, Marketing and Communications Manager and Project Lead, commented: “We’re so thrilled to see the mural inside the station. Since we adopted the station back in 2019, Covid sadly brought to a halt many of the plans we had during 2020, so we are extremely excited to finally install our first permanent fitting. Having the mural installed at platform level will only increase the intrigue from passengers and will hopefully persuade more people to come and visit and explore the area.”
Find out more about the artists and featured Jewellery students on Instagram
Artists
Barbara Gibson @barbaragibson_creative
Marta Kochanek @marta_kochanek
Jewellery students
Alison Fowler @alisonfowlerdesigns
Catarina Rodrigues Caeiro @cat_jewelleryc
Conor Maher @cpemaher
Dairu Han @dairu_hannah
Emma Joensen @emmajo_jewellery
Linlin Xiong @linlinxiong_jewellery
Paul Bailey – Green @audacious.jewellery
Yiro Vecchi @yiro_jewellery
