Barry's Bollards
Date uploaded: November 2, 2011
Barry's Bollards A £30,000 set of bollards has been installed in Thompson Street, funded by the Welsh Government's Barry Regeneration Area programme. The bollards, a new steel public art installation measuring one metre in height and created by Walter Jack Studio, are part of ongoing improvements to Barry's town centre. A Vale Council spokeswoman said: "The inspiration for these designs came from Barry’s maritime history and from the idea that Thompson Street itself has had an exciting and multi-layered history." The material speaks of winches and dockside machinery, while the forms have some of these same connotations. "Some of the designs imply movement with the cog rolling up and down the rack as you move from one bollard to the next. Elsewhere the cog seems more like a flower head. "The variations within each design create both continuity and variety as you travel along this important route which links the town centre with the Waterfront area." She added: "The lead artist worked within the full length of Thompson Street with the aim of creating variety and change as you travel along the street which links the Town Centre with the Waterfront area." The bollards are designed to reflect the town's maritime past, but not everyone thinks its money well spent, creating a heated debate and making the pages of the national newspapers.
