A new Greyhound pub wall design competition.

[BruceHarrison]

Purelake, the developers of the Greyhound pub, as part of the planning permission, have to incorporate the installation of a piece of public art, constructed from ceramic tiles, to cover the new north wall of the building.

A new design competition for 2012 is therefore being launched, replacing the previous competition, which failed to find a winning entry, and is open to anyone who lives, works or studies within 2km of the Greyhound pub, Kirkdale, Sydenham SE26 and their family and friends.

The design should capture “the Essence of Sydenham” and there will be a £1000 prize for the winning entry.

Entries must be submitted before the end of March and the winning entry will be announced by the end of April. Anyone who wishes to enter and receive competition details should email greyhoundcompetition@gmail.com or write to
Greyhound Competition, c/o 43 Bishopsthorpe Road, London SE26 4PA before 17th March, 2012.

[leenewham]

I'd make people aware that the space to view the wall is very small as the passageway isn't that wide and that it will be difficult to stand back and see anything that is a large all over picture (at least by the models and what I've seen of the site).

Is that part of the brief Bruce?

Also, can you let me know who is producing the tiles, I've been trying to research this for some signage but I keep drawing a blank due to one reason or another.

Regards

Lee

[BruceHarrison]

Hi Lee

the space to view the wall is very small as the passageway isn't that wide and that it will be difficult to stand back and see anything that is a large all over picture

You are quite correct about the width of the walkway - it will be less than 5m or 15' - so there will be little space to stand back and appreciate the design,

Is that part of the brief

Oh yes!

who is producing the tiles, I've been trying to research this for some signage but I keep drawing a blank due to one reason or another

You will be relieved to know that the winning designer doesn't have to produce the tiles! The tiles will be sourced by Purelake, the site developer. I don't know who they will use yet. I suspect it will depend on the design and whether the tiles need to be hand painted or use existing coloured tile stock.

I'll see if I can find out more for you.

[leenewham]

Hi Bruce,

you can get tiles printed, but they vary a lot, some are for use outdoors, some aren't. I struggled to get a supplier for a sign I'm doing for a restaurant in Hayes as part of the Outer London Fund (in the end we decided to get it painted as a trompe L'Oeil).

We did something similar at an agency I worked at years ago for Oval Tube Station.

Please let us forumites know how things go. Unfortunately due to other jobs I wont be entering this as the deadline is too tight but I hope it goes well and that the submissions are good.

Let me know if you find out who is producing the tiles!

Thanks,

Lee

[poppy]

I have an idea: how about putting the mosaic planned for the Narborhood centre there instead? It fits the brief - Sydenham scenes, tiles...

[BruceHarrison]

Ah yes this has been suggested! I wonder if a mosaic would fit the planning permission brief of ceramic tiles.

Meanwhile the brief for the Greyhound pub wall design is to capture "the essence of Sydenham". To me that means Sydenham NOW - a vibrant community.

I suspect this is going to lead to a whole lot of other suggestions about what is the "essence of Sydenham" - and all good ideas for budding designers please ....

[BruceHarrison]

Here's the link to the competition WANTED! poster in this weeks News Shopper - page 33.

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.c ... 0530a&skip

The link forces you to register with them, but you do get to see a free News Shopper (for those of us who don't receive a free home delivery)

[poppy]

Exactly Bruce...would be nice to see something with some imagination!

[BruceHarrison]

Also, can you let me know who is producing the tiles, I've been trying to research this for some signage but I keep drawing a blank due to one reason or another.

Lee

Purelake are still sourcing their tile supplier so no lead from them yet. Sorry!

However I recently came across this local artist who also produces ceramic tiles with printed images at her workshop in Sussex. She might be of help with your shop sign tiles. http://www.bespoketiles.co.uk/

Her "previous projects" page includes some interesting tiles (the bathroom especially) which might provide budding Greyhound wall designer with some inspiration.

[BruceHarrison]

I spent yesterday wandering around Whitechapel and noticed these walls at the Centre of the Cell building in Walden Street and on the side of the London Hospital building. I'm not suggesting either would be appropriate for the Greyhound but they are inspiring in their different ways ....
1. http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab32 ... 012045.jpg
2. http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab32 ... 012047.jpg
3. http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab32 ... 012048.jpg
4. http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab32 ... 012049.jpg

[leenewham]

Thanks for the tiles link Bruce, very useful, I hadn't found her.

I'm probably at odds with the organisers of this and what the art should be on this wall.

The examples look nice on the building but will look totally wrong on the Greyhound.

Great architecture and art has a sense of place. It works well on it's own and in it's setting (which is my main reason for opposing the mosaic, it's just not right for the building).

I'm glad they are looking at using tiles for the wall, it's an appropriate material, although I hope they consider using brick shaped tiles. A design company I worked for did hammersmith Tube Station, Heathrow and the Oval in a similar fashion and it looked great.

I hope that the panel will consider something that enlightens, has historic value, perhaps is related to the site rather than some modern piece of art or something wooly that is supposed to represent 'the dynamic, vibrant society'. The best pieces of public art tend to have a story or a singular idea. Be it Monument, the comedy carpet in Blackpool, the ship in a bottle on the fourth plinth, the tiled wall in Hammersmith Tube Station, Bakersteets stations Sherlock stories etc.

I think we have a valuable asset in the Greyhound, an historic pub which is now unfortunately dwarfed by a development that seems to have grown extra stories back to its original and rejected planning proposal. I'm sure there are some stories that Steve Grindley has about the Greyhound that would form the basis of some great art.

The whole 'representing Sydenham Now, a vibrant community' worries me. Every council I worked with for the Outer London Fund (14 so far and counting) described their area as vibrant. It became a bit of a joke, the word has become meaningless, if anything it now means 'a bit shabby' or 'doesn't feel safe at night' which is pretty much how the people who lived or worked there described the same areas.

I don't want to put a downer on this, but if a client had come to me with this brief I'd have challenged it.

[BruceHarrison]

Lee it's such a shame that you won't be entering the competition.

The competition brief remains to capture "the essence of Sydenham".

The comment about "Sydenham NOW - a vibrant community" was mine, in reaction to Poppy's suggestion to place the Sydenham mosaic on the rear wall of the Greyhound instead of the Naborhood Centre.

I don't think the developers want a purely historical design for the Greyhound but hope for something representative of Sydenham - certainly drawing on it's history but also looking to it's future and being relevant and interesting to the community who live here.

Are you sure you won't have time to enter?

[leenewham]

Hi Bruce, I'd like to but it's not possible right now.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[BruceHarrison]

Just seven days left to register your interest in the competition.

To help us plan the public exhibition of entries to the competition we need to know how many people might enter.

So if you are interested please drop us an email at greyhoundcompetition@gmail.com or write to Greyhound Competition, c/o 43 Bishopsthorpe Road, Sydenham, SE26 4PA and we will send you the details and the entry form.

The competition closes on 31st March.

[BruceHarrison]

Two days left!

There's still time to register if you are interested.

Just email greyhoundcompetition@gmail.com for the details and the entry form.

Then there are still 2 whole weeks to come up with the design to win the £1000 prize.

[BruceHarrison]

Sat rday!
Last day to register for the competition.

[JRobinson]

how many entries did you get?

I think some of the entrants were a bit miffed that none of the previous entrys were deemed to have completely fullfilled the criteria requested, which was the reason given for not picking one of them, and for running the comp again.

[BruceHarrison]

how many entries did you get?

The closing date for entries is this Saturday so we don't know the answer yet.
The closing date to register and receive the competition brief was last Saturday and there were over 100, so we are not going to be overwhelmed with entries. Less than 100 I guess but each entrant may submit up to 3 designs.

I think some of the entrants were a bit miffed that none of the previous entrys were deemed to have completely fullfilled the criteria requested, which was the reason given for not picking one of them, and for running the comp again.

I can understand this as I was one of last year’s entrants and thought my designs were brilliant. I'm not entering this year!

There can only be one winner so there will always be a lot of disappointed entrants. Last year the judges decided that none of the entries met their criteria for a piece of public art which will be on display for possibly 100 years or more.

They are entitled to make a similar decision this year.

[BruceHarrison]

More than 60 designs from 30 artists, designers, poets and photographers were entered into the competition. These will be on display in the Kirkdale Bookshop gallery from 5th to 30th April.

The exhibition looks great, so much variety, so many greyhounds, and even some humour.

Do try to pay a visit to the exhibition and leave your comments for the judges to review.

The winning entry will be announced at the end of the month.

[SE26bloke]

Is there still a Greyhound pub wall to actually put the design on?