A Real Birmingham Family
A Real Birmingham Family is a public artwork and sculpture by Gillian Wearing, cast in bronze, and erected in Centenary Square, outside the Library of Birmingham, England, on 30 October 2014.[1]
It depicts two local sisters, each single mothers called Roma and Emma Jones, with their two children; Roma's son Kyan and Emma's son Shaye. Emma is depicted as pregnant with a second son, Isaac, who was born before the sculpture was unveiled.[2] A small plaque laid on the ground in front of the work describes it.
In a process begun in 2011, and coordinated by the city's Ikon Gallery, nominations for a real local family to model for the sculpture were invited. The Jones' were selected from a shortlist, by an independent panel, in August 2013.[3]
Wearing said:[4] Template:Quote
The £100,000 cost of the work was covered by a combination of public money and private donations.[5] The casting was carried out in China.[5] The project follows Wearing's 2008 work, A Typical Trentino Family.[6]
In November 2014 shortly after being unveiled, New Fathers 4 Justice activist Bobby Smith covered the statue with a white sheet and pictures of his two daughters. Smith commented, "They’ve depicted the normal family with no fathers... I believe kids are always better off with both parents in their lives."[7][8]
The statue went into storage in May 2017, to allow work for the redevelopment of Centenary Square to begin.[9]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Real_Birmingham_Family
- ↑ http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/library-birmingham-statue-unveiling-two-8024136
- ↑ http://birminghamnewsroom.com/2014/10/a-real-birmingham-family/
- ↑ http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/meet-joneses---real-birmingham-5794999
- ↑ http://arealbirminghamfamily.com/sign-in?ReturnUrl=%2f#jones
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