Artists are being invited to bid to brighten up new utility cabinets installed around the Old Steine.
Brighton and Hove City Council has put in the cabinets as part of the final phase of the Valley Gardens revamp, which is nearing completion.
It’s inviting bids for artists who would like to put murals on them to prevent tagging.
There’s £2,000 up for grabs – £1,000 for two cabinets to the south of the Old Steine, and another £1,000 for three by the art deco bus shelters outside the Royal Pavilion.
The tenders say artwork relating to the Palace Pier (e.g. murmurations) is preferred for the Old Steine cabinets, and murals reflecting the Royal Pavilion (e.g. dragons) or art deco themes for the bus shelter ones.
The bus shelter artworks must also be mindful of the proximity to the war memorial.
What are these cabinets for and why are they in such a prominent position in a Conservation area? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to site them underground out of sight altogether?
Yeah, great idea. So they can flood in the winter and be really hard to work on when something goes wrong…
Putting exposed copper cables underground susceptible to flooding is not a good idea. These cabinets will be airtight and ventilated.
How can they be air-tight and ventilated at the same time? 🤔
Why did they have to be placed right in the middle of pavements – the council disapproved of BT Hubs replacing old phone boxes?
If they seriously believe that putting murals on them will prevent tagging then the council is more seriously deluded than I thought.
If they’re left blank it’s a certainty…there are a number already around the city and in the main taggers seem to have a certain amount of respect for the art and don’t destroy it. The idiots will still tag but a decorated box tends to hide much of that. I think the idea is brilliant, I e this in many of the cities I visit and it is a definite enhancement.
I thought the Old Bus Shelters outside Pavilion were going to made useable to the Public-not just a load of art all over it-which will look good instead of being Tagged but used, then then that may encourage sleepers I guess.
There are downsides to everything. Rough sleepers aren’t a problem though, but a symptom of a Tory-caused housing crisis.
Citywise, the most successful affordable homes initiative was set up by the Tory BH Council administration in 2008. It’s called Seaside Homes and the model has never been bettered, so wash your mouth out, Benjamin. Bringing old buildings back into use and also adding new ones.
https://seaside-homes.org.uk/about/
Yawn. Decades of Socialism/Marxism in this city have achieved what, exactly?
Over a 1,000 new homes to start with above and beyond Tories, Jay.
It’s a pity this is even necessary, but I guess I’m living in the past. It just shows things don’t necessarily get better.
Electronics are also supposed to be getting smaller as time goes on so why the need for these enormous ugly cabinets, more appropriate to 1940s technology casing, and in the middle of a conservation area?
People’s hands haven’t got smaller.