In Acrylicize’s first permanent public realm art intervention, the Odyssey Tablets are part of a scheme to regenerate the Butetown area of Cardiff. Working alongside the City of Cardiff Council and Celfwaith Arts Consultancy, this project started as a brief to create artworks on a series of wind baffles being installed outside Loudoun and Nelson House to protect the structure from the high wind speeds and corrosive nature of the sea air.
Inspired by the city’s cultural and industrial heritage as a port, our scheme explored the nautical navigation techniques to connect contemporary Cardiff to it’s lost history and years of tradition. Focusing heavily on community engagement to unite the residents and promote growth, we conducted a series of consultations and activities which involved building a collection of stories which told the narrative of the area perfectly, tales of migration, heroism and sailor myths. This information was gained through collecting data about resident’s star signs and using constellations as the vehicle for the way the stories were told, Acrylicize created a serene palette matching the sky across the Cardiff Bay through 24 hours.
To engage with the site context which is almost exclusively residential, we wanted to create a piece of work which continued to be a statement piece and have a relationship with the locals at any time of the day. From this we explored creating a nighttime appeal, which was through phosphorescence, which through using the natural sunlight, glows during the night. Using this material on the constellations the artwork is based upon, at night the stars and the forms they create become the focal point resonating with the environment and the stars above.