The man chosen to come up with a design for Keynsham’s new town clock is hoping local people will come along and contribute ideas at special ‘meet the artist’ sessions this month.
The Clocktower is part of the overall £34 million regeneration investment in Keynsham and will provide a focus for the new public space in the town.
The design by winning artist, Sebastien Boyesen, who was selected following public consultation and voting in May, uses a patchwork of glass and acrylic panels to capture the history of the town both past and present.
The six-metre high Clocktower will be constructed out of a solid granite plinth with polished finish and polyurethane resin encased stained glass and supporting framework of stainless steel.
The clock faces are incorporated into the design to make it highly visible as the Clock tower is approached.
Councillor Ben Stevens (Lib-Dem, Widcombe), B&NES Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “Sebastien will be working with community groups including youth groups, residents groups and the Keynsham Local History Society.
He is inviting people to contribute ideas, images, memories and stories which will inform his patchwork design for the sides of the Clocktower.
“When installed, the Clocktower will form a key element of the new and improved public space with the objective of generating a sense of ‘hub’, meeting place and community focus in the new Keynsham town centre development.”
Keynsham Arts Advisory Group (AAG), which has commissioned the design, is overseeing the creation of the Clocktower. AAG members represent the local community and are working with Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Arts Development and Project Delivery teams to implement the project.
Keynsham Town Councillor, Lisa O’Brien, who is Chair of AAG, said: “As the Clocktower project takes another step closer to completion, we hope that as many residents as possible will get involved in these sessions, so that our Clocktower will truly reflect Keynsham past and present.”
The ‘Meet the Artist’ sessions with Sebastien Boyesen, which are open to all residents of Keynsham who can just ‘drop in’, will take place on:
· Wednesday 15 October 4pm – 7pm upstairs Key Centre, High Street, Keynsham; and
· Monday 27 October – 10am – 1pm Community@67, Queens Road, Keynsham.
