Jackson Quay Sculpture
Jackson Quay, a new housing development within the Barry Waterfront area, officially opened on June 10th 2011. With views over No. 1 Dock and a welcoming entrance sculpture by Angharad Pearce Jones, it is a great example of affordable housing.
Newydd Housing Association commissioned Angharad Pearce Jones to collaborate with the scheme architects Tony King Architects Ltd to create a sculptural landmark at the entrance to the site. The original plans for the pedestrian access to the site were put aside, to allow the artist a blank canvas and fresh look at the space. By combining her response to the style and scale of the architecture, local research about the history of the docks, as well as consultation with current Newydd Housing Association tenants, the artist developed her design.
Five stylised 'trees' stand along the curved edge of the pedestrian entrance area, looking out towards the direction of the town centre. (Their height means they can be seen from the Civic Offices) The tops of the trees are made up of sweeping, interlocking curves in a style reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the tree trunks are more solidly industrial looking, reminiscent perhaps of the large dock stanchions. As with much of Angharad's work, there is a merging of the feminine with the industrial, to highlight that they are not mutually exclusive and make visible women's role in an industrial society.
It was decided to keep the area as open and welcoming as possible, so there is no fencing in front of the artwork. However, the housing on either side is fenced, and along these two sections of fencing, the artist incorporated a complementary curved design in keeping with the sculptures.
In parallel with the design development, the artist facilitated school workshops at Barry Island Primary School and Gladstone Primary School, to raise awareness of the housing scheme and introduce the children to the process of designing metalwork. Further workshops were held at Gladstone to enable the artist to create a permanent artwork for the school from the children's designs, which is now installed on the wall overlooking their playground.