S E A T S F O R B L A C K R O C K , Brighton
S E A T S F O R B L A C K R O C K by Katie Schwab
Year
2021-2024
Client
Brighton & Hove City Council
Services
Commission Management
Location
Black Rock, Madeira Drive
Brighton & Hove
Permanent Commission for Black Rock
Following an open call, Katie Schwab has created a new permanent artwork, comprising of a series of seating elements, has been commissioned to respond to the history of the site and area.
The artwork draws on local sculptural, geological, leisure and transportation histories to create playful new seating for Black Rock. Created from black pigmented concrete and basalt aggregate, these nine patterned cubes reference the materiality of the Black Rock site alongside research into designs by three artists who lived and/ or worked in Sussex; Peggy Angus (1904–1993), Mitzi Cunliffe (1918– 2006) and William Mitchell (1920–2020).
“Black Rock is a site that has historically had many uses: from industry to leisure, tourism to transportation. ”
Black Rock marks the point where the white chalk of the South Downs meets the sea. It is thought that Black Rock was named after a large rock that once lay at the foot of the cliffs. Another story references the history of coal transportation to the site; in the 19th century, the material was taken up the hill from the sea to the Brighton Gas Light and Coke company. Alluding to this geological and trade history, the seats are made from a black pigmented concrete inlaid with black basalt aggregate.
The relief patterns embedded in the seats make reference to histories of sculptural production in the area. Specifically, the textured surface of the seats references William Mitchell’s ‘The Spirit of Brighton’, a concrete relief sculpture built in Churchill Square, Brighton in 1968, which was later demolished. Mitchell’s piece was designed with a sculpted rockery and a cascade of water to encourage plant growth, neatly integrating the organic and the man-made.
“Positioned at angles to one another, these seats are ready to be used for sitting, meeting or playing.”
This artwork has similarly grown out of a study of Brighton’s coastal forms, and features patterns referencing the waves, shingle and seawalls at the Black Rock site. These abstract shapes are a nod to the ceramic tile works of Peggy Angus, an artist and designer who lived in the South Downs, East Sussex. Finally, the four designs have been reproduced in moulds, rotated and repeated rhythmically across the nine cubes. This mode of production is drawn from the moulded architectural patterns produced by American artist Mitzi Cunliffe, who lived close to the Black Rock site.
The yellow type, spelling out ‘B L A C K R O C K’ across the seats, has been recreated from an early 20th century sepia postcard showing the cliffs and promenade at Black Rock. The colour of the text nods to the yellow band that spans the Brighton Marina flyover.
The artwork has been installation with adjacent landscaping works on-going until later this year. Fabricated by The White Wall Company.
Brighton & Hove City Council’s ambition is to see Black Rock used as a year-round place for: local people; sustainable tourism; leisure; recreation and culture. For more information on the project and public art see here.
About Katie
Katie Schwab is an artist whose work is informed by textile processes, material interactions and social histories. Her playful artworks nod to domestic traditions of making and communal spaces of gathering, and are often shaped by a visual language of modernist abstraction and a lexicon of vernacular materials. Thoughtfully optimistic, Katie’s practice is shaped by an interest in reconstitution and repair.