Forward Statue, Fatally Burnt, 17th April 2003
Forward was installed in Centenary Square in 1991. The sculpture was made from fibreglass and painted in cream and pink with red outlines. The theme Forward was taken from the Birmingham coat of arms motto and the figures represented Birmingham people who have helped advance the city. Forward was installed in June 1991 as one of a number of pieces of public art in the newly formed Centenary Square. While it had deteriorated to some extent it was still in reasonable condition - as our last photos show (F23-093-094 were taken by Jonathan Berg in March 2003).
Forward was the subject of much public interest and often very critical comments. Visitors to the city certainly took more interest in it than the other pieces of art in Centenary Square but locals really struggled with it. Of course this was a controversial piece but it is strange that Mason's public art works in other parts of the world have been much better accepted than here in Birmingham.
On a personal note we enjoyed photographing Forward over the years. Photo 97-001 in particular was a shot that we took a lot of time over. It used a sunset, natural light, fill-in flash during a 60-90 second exposure. It required several attempts and several hundred pounds of 5" x 4" film to get it right. This image has been used to promote Birmingham in lots of different ways.
Raymond Mason (1922 -) is a Birmingham born sculptor. He trained at the Birmingham School of Arts and Crafts under William Bloye. Since 1946 he has lived and worked in Paris. Mason has an international reputation and his large sculptural works are found around the world with many in North America.
On Thursday 17th April 2003 Forward was set alight by an act of vandalism. The fire has done irreparable damage to Forward. The morning after the fire, (Good Friday), contractors working on behalf of Birmingham City Council enclosed the charred figures in a giant wooden coffin. Forward was the pinnacle of Mason's public artworks. Whatever one thought of it it is a huge loss in the world of public art. The discussion on what should be done about the gap in Centenary Square will certainly create as much hot air as the sculpture itself. Clearly Birmingham needs to take greater care of its public art collection.
We have photos of the burnt statue which will be put on this page in a few days time.
