Seven artists, of which Laura White is one were commissioned to do artworks using the signage brackets that hang over the shop fronts in Hereford City Centre. The sculpture trail draws inspiration from past English laws of the 17th and 18th centuries that required shops to display visual trade representations crafted by local artisans. The project reimagines this tradition for the 21st century, reusing signage brackets across the city.

Urban spaces are made up of practical structures, ordered and regimented. Occasional features appear amongst the architecture that are decorative. The old metal ornate signage brackets that hang above shop fronts, now redundant add to these architectural moments, intricate metal designs each unique.

Taking the metal bracket that hangs above Printer and Taylor in the centre of Hereford, Laura has responded to the original object and its materials to create a hanging sculpture. Her piece appears to be part of the original bracket, using the design and shapes, but as the hanging structure cascades the building the formal design begins to unravel, unleashing a different type of manipulation of the metal which takes on a journey of its own.

Commissioned by Meadow Arts and Hereford College of Arts

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/37550