WATCH THIS!!!

SOUTH & CITY COLLEGE BIRMINGHAM RAN A WEB-CAM LAST WEEK WHEN WE WERE INSTALLING THE STEELWORK.

THE RESULT IS THIS GREAT FOOTAGE IN STOP-FRAME SEQUENCE OF OUR WEEK ON SITE.

CLICK ON LINK BELOW (OPEN IN NEW WINDOW):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yH79pbWIkc

JFK STEELWORK NOW INSTALLED

STEELWORK INSTALLED ON SITE

This last week has been a busy one.  Monday started at 4am and our journey to Birmingham to start work on erecting all the steelwork for the Kennedy Memorial.

Thanks to the capable skills of our engineer, Rob Longley and my two co-workers Mark and Nick we managed to raise the structure in five days.

Our very great thanks to Dave Peebles of the Custard Factory for all his considerable assistance and Mike Hopkins and his very friendly and helpful staff at South & City College who gave our steel sheets safe accommodation until they could be fixed to the framework.   

STEELWORK ARRIVES ON SITE

GALVANISED STEEL FRAMES RAISED, BOLTED TOGETHER AND FIXED TO BUILDING STRUCTURE (SEEN FROM ABOVE)

THE SEVEN STEEL FRAMES ARE NOW IN PLACE AND THE CORTEN AND STAINLESS STEEL SHEETS ARE INSTALLED

BY WEDNESDAY EVENING ALL THE LOWER SHEETS HAVE BEEN FIXED AND THE 16.500M BY 4.500M FRAME IS FULLY INSTALLED

MARK WORKING ON INSTALLING THE FIRST CORTEN STEEL LETTERING PANEL OVER THE STAINLESS STEEL BACKING SHEETS

YESTERDAY (FRIDAY 14TH DEC) ALL METALWORK COMPLETED ON AN EXTREMELY WET AND WINDY SITE READY FOR THE MOSAIC ELEMENTS  

RIGHT HAND LEGEND

LEFT HAND LEGEND

CRYSTAL PALACE ROUNDEL COMPLETED

THE NINTH ROUNDEL FOR THE SYDENHAM CENTRE MOSAIC HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED IN THE STUDIO.

IT FEATURES A KALEIDOSCOPIC IMAGE OF CRYSTAL PALACE (X4) WITH JOSEPH PAXTON (the designer of the building) AS A BRONZE BUST WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE SITE OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDING (of course the original site of the building was Hyde Park but it was moved to Sydenham Hill shortly after the 1851 Great Exhibition but was destroyed by fire in 1936)

KENNEDY NEWS:  We have encountered issues with pedestrian management for our installation work.  Hopefully this will soon be resolved and we are planning to be on site December 10th to erect the framework for the mosaic.  Watch this space!!

MOSAIC FINISHED IN STUDIO - STEEL WORK ERECTED IN YARD

Two events occurred this week with the completion of all mosaic sections in the studio and putting together the steel frame sections which will support the complete monument.

It's looking big!!

TEDDY'S BACK!!!!!

This last week has seen the return of Teddy Kennedy (looking over his shoulder)

and another large head, plus a lady being (literally) hounded!

EXTREME RIGHT HAND SIDE

POWER FISTS, DISTRAUGHT BABIES, COPS AND THE HOUNDS FROM HELL......

LOOKS LIKE CIVIL UNREST!

JUST FIVE MORE HEADS AND THE MOSAIC WILL BE COMPLETE.

THE LAST PANEL

The last wall areas are now up in the studio and the end is in sight

THE COPS ARE ON THE SCENE + METALWORK PROGRESS

The downtown cops are getting in on the action this week and Rob Longley, my engineer, is busy on the steel framework structure that will take the mosaic and lettering panels.  

The steel frame components don't look very big in these photos but they are 4.5 metres tall and over 2 metres wide, and there are seven of them!! 

TOP RIGHT OF WALL COMPLETED

I have now completed the top right hand side of the mosaic so at the start of next week I will remove these panels and begin the final phase of this work, namely the bottom right hand side portraits.

CIVIL UNREST ON RIGHT HAND SIDE

I've now reached the extreme right hand side of the mosaic and have just completed the civil unrest being quelled my some very evil looking military police.

The background is on fire and some sinister missiles loom-up in the background.  This area illustrates Kennedy's greatest test, the Cuban missile crisis and civil unrest in America in the early 1960's.

By the end of next week I'll be on the final lower right portraits and the last wall areas.

HANDS, ARMS AND FLAGS

WHITE HOUSE AREA ALMOST COMPLETED

AMERICANA

I've been looking forward to making these sunglasses, also the White house has appeared.

THE PRESIDENTIAL SEAL

The Presidential Seal is now completed and is fashioned from real gold mosaic, this catches the light as seen from the side.

 When installed on site it should be a glittering focal point.

CENTRAL AREA FINISHED - DRAWING TO END COMPLETE

Finished the central hand clasp on friday last week and this has now been taken down from the wall and the whole drawing from the centre to the far right hand side is now up ready for the metal sheets tomorrow.

NEXT STOP THE WHITE HOUSE!!

MORE BIG HEADS!!

Jubilee week wasn't much of a holiday for me, but that's fine as I was creating these huge heads.  All change again next week as this lot comes down and new drawings go up.


I've put a chair in front of the second photo to give an idea of scale.  These are big heads!!

MARTIN LUTHER KING BACK IN THE PICTURE

Last week's panels down and new panels up to mid-way point.  Martin Luther King completed (pencil moustache) and some lovely shiny white teeth!

SECTION COMPLETED - FIRST DESIGN DISCOVERED

About to take down completed left hand side. three big faces all completed.  Also discovered when clearing out my ma's loft the very first sketch design of Kennedy memorial.

Big Heads!!

Getting into the big heads now... these are 5/6 sq ft each, so quite  large.

Another exciting development is that I was clearing my mother's loft last weekend and discovered my father's original sketches for this work along with loads of photographic evidence of design details, hands, heads, Etc.

I will put them onto this blog next week, also some amazing photos of Kennedy that dad had got from American embassy.. what price these?

LOOK INTO MY EYES!!

This week the big heads at the base of the mural have begun and all the background to the left of Kennedy has been completed.   I'll be working on these three heads for the rest of this week.

NOW WE'VE GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF IT!!

All change in the studio this week, top photo shows the finished first 1/3rd taken on tuesday, bottom photo shows first bottom section ready to start Thursday morning.

FIRST 1/3rd ALMOST COMPLETED

Kennedy is dressed!, and I will finish the rest of this first 1/3rd of the complete mural this week.