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For St Agnes

Print
2010 (published)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

These screenprints (E.29-32-2011) were created by Graham Fagen (born 1966, Glasgow) to commemorate the launch of his new permanent artwork, For St Agnes. This was commissioned by Foreground Projects for Bristol City Council for the park of the same name in St Paul's, Bristol, an area with a multi-ethnic community, including indigenous and immigrant families with Caribbean, Somalian and European backgrounds; it consists of four bronze plaques, painted in bright enamel colours, set into the paving at the thresholds of the four entrances to the park. The work explores the appropriation of text and image by individuals, groups and nations, and how such symbols can transcend cultural boundaries to become new signifiers for both the history and future of communities. Fagen's pieces reflect the history and culture of the area. The plaques are as follows: a red rose with the text 'Where the Heart Is'; a palm tree with the words 'For I and I'; and two text panels, one lettered 'Rest England, Peace Mandela' and other 'Mandela's peace, England's Rest'. The rose (and the language of flowers itself) is a recurring motif in Fagen's practice, for its many symbolic connotations - love and beauty, the Tudor Rose of England, and a symbol for socialist parties around the world (including Britain's Labour Party). Here it has connotations of home, as in the phrase 'home is where the heart is', and as an emblem of England and of national identity. The vivid blue red and green colours of the enamel reflect the cultural tradition of Jamaican and African signage. The Palm tree is traditionally a sign of peace and fertility, and of course linked to tropical climates. The palm tree is also the logo of Jamaica's Long Island Records, which has for more than 50 years promoted reggae music, notably that of Bob Marley (a Rastafarian); 'for I and I' is a Rastafarian phrase of complex meaning, encompassing individuality and community, unity and a sense of the collective. The use of Nelson Mandela's name refers to a local name for the park - Mandela's Hideaway or Mandela's Rest. Mandela is an important symbolic figurehead for many diasporic communicates of African descent, and represent the transition from a colonial to a post-colonial world. He is also a symbol of pride, strength, peace, hope and dignity.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • For St Agnes (series title)
  • rest England / peace Mandela (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Screenprint on paper
Brief description
Print, screenprint from portfolio, 'For St Agnes', Graham Fagen, UK, 2010.
Physical description
The words 'rest England' and 'peace Mandela' printed in pale blue on a pale yellow ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12.5cm
  • Width: 40.2cm
Copy number
8/13
Credit line
Given by Foreground Projects Ltd.
Place depicted
Summary
These screenprints (E.29-32-2011) were created by Graham Fagen (born 1966, Glasgow) to commemorate the launch of his new permanent artwork, For St Agnes. This was commissioned by Foreground Projects for Bristol City Council for the park of the same name in St Paul's, Bristol, an area with a multi-ethnic community, including indigenous and immigrant families with Caribbean, Somalian and European backgrounds; it consists of four bronze plaques, painted in bright enamel colours, set into the paving at the thresholds of the four entrances to the park. The work explores the appropriation of text and image by individuals, groups and nations, and how such symbols can transcend cultural boundaries to become new signifiers for both the history and future of communities. Fagen's pieces reflect the history and culture of the area. The plaques are as follows: a red rose with the text 'Where the Heart Is'; a palm tree with the words 'For I and I'; and two text panels, one lettered 'Rest England, Peace Mandela' and other 'Mandela's peace, England's Rest'. The rose (and the language of flowers itself) is a recurring motif in Fagen's practice, for its many symbolic connotations - love and beauty, the Tudor Rose of England, and a symbol for socialist parties around the world (including Britain's Labour Party). Here it has connotations of home, as in the phrase 'home is where the heart is', and as an emblem of England and of national identity. The vivid blue red and green colours of the enamel reflect the cultural tradition of Jamaican and African signage. The Palm tree is traditionally a sign of peace and fertility, and of course linked to tropical climates. The palm tree is also the logo of Jamaica's Long Island Records, which has for more than 50 years promoted reggae music, notably that of Bob Marley (a Rastafarian); 'for I and I' is a Rastafarian phrase of complex meaning, encompassing individuality and community, unity and a sense of the collective. The use of Nelson Mandela's name refers to a local name for the park - Mandela's Hideaway or Mandela's Rest. Mandela is an important symbolic figurehead for many diasporic communicates of African descent, and represent the transition from a colonial to a post-colonial world. He is also a symbol of pride, strength, peace, hope and dignity.
Collection
Accession number
E.31-2011

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Record createdFebruary 9, 2011
Record URL
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