I was passing through West Brom and got these shots today. It's suprisingly large and there's also a stainless steel blister taking shape on the rear.

http://tinypic.com/50iag0

http://tinypic.com/50ibzs

http://tinypic.com/50i9gm

http://tinypic.com/50i99d

http://tinypic.com/50i9f8

http://tinypic.com/50i9hu

http://tinypic.com/50i9ll

http://tinypic.com/50i9mx

Bloody hell that's moved on a bit. There's a thread already on here somewhere with pics I took around Chrimbo time but it's probably on page 4 or 5 by now.

I presume that Grafitti is aimed at the people of Wolverhampton and not Walsall

http://tinypic.com/50i9mx

:) It looks quite horrid eh! West Brom didn't need this, it needed investment into the city centre itself, I cannot think of any reasons to visit the city and I am not being cruel, I would love to say it's a cool place but it is hard faced, deprived and unnatractive, the only good thing is the metro into Brum, and now it has a big mr blobby warehouse for??? what the fuck does it house, it looks like a cheap Paris disneyland last minute attraction, sorry West Brom but I think this one is a big spanner.

the initial drawings looked spiffing but the materials used look barbie doll!

That seams to be a common thing in Will Alsop designs, they look great in renders and drawings and then in reality they look cheap and not as dramatic.

I htink it loos better than the renders. Still not very good though.

It isn't finished yet so I'll reserve my judgement till then.

but I do think it's a welcome addition to West Brom especially when you look at the state central shopping area and the burnt out buildings directly opposite the new pUBLIC.

http://tinypic.com/512gba

^^^^^^^^

Very nice, Hoody went to work in West Brom and we haven't heard from him since.

Nice pics there, the building itself puts me in mind of millenium point on acid.

Some strong acid you're on there MK.

Sadly not. No acid - just toast at the moment.

Nice pics there, the building itself puts me in mind of millenium point on acid.

Very good observation MK! :)

I think that building is awful, sorry but It looks like a bad kids drawing. I was wondering too what had happened to Hoody.

Hot news just in from West Brom

The pUBLIC are having a site open day tommorrow. I'll be there, camera in hand will you? :)

Interesting thing I discovered today was that the exterior boxy facade is largely independent of the rest the rest of the building which is a series of unusual four storey H frames which support the floors and the spiral ramp

The people of West Brom seem very enthusiastic too and i'm finding it all very exciting :) The buillding will be finished in 2006 but they are having walk abouts in the meantime

http://tinypic.com/5nm2kp

http://tinypic.com/5nm6i0

http://tinypic.com/5nm6uh

http://tinypic.com/5nm7b4

http://tinypic.com/5nm74i

http://tinypic.com/5nm69k

http://tinypic.com/5nm91e

Thanks for the photos Foxtrot.

Oh man, I adore that. Absolutely adore it. Seems incredibly cheap, but what they've done is gorgeous. Like a Blue Peter jobby. Made with plastic, sellotape and an empty can of Lilt and they ended up with a sexy can of SUPER LILT.

It will certainly give people inside a rose tinted view of West Brom.

I suppose the facade is independant from the structure because it'll be easy to reclad in the future to refresh the building. Most new buildings are like this nowadays - economically thought out well. Great pics Foxtrot - this is truly an interesting landmark for West Brom.

interesting landmark?

It annoys me. A box with what looks like pink holes burned into it. I can't imagine how uncomfortable it is to shop inside it with the lack of windows and the uncomfortable pink everywhere!

The Public in administration! :bash: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4777882.stm

"Administrators have been called in at a multi-million pound arts centre being developed in the Black Country.

The Public, in West Bromwich, was scheduled to open in July but it is thought to have debts of about £2m.

Bosses said they had no choice, but are doing everything they can to secure its future as a venue for theatre, music, dance and creative technology.

Work has been halted on the building until financial problems can be sorted out, putting about 81 jobs at risk."

I saw the report on Midlands Today on Monday night.
By the sounds of it, the biggest problem with the pUBLIC (I think that's the right spelling) is that nobody is/was in charge. They interviewed the person 'in charge' and she blamed contractors for the delays and said there was nothing she could have done to avoid the project going into debt! It seems no-one told her that being in charge meant accepting responsibility for running the project, including things going wrong.

I really do hope the pUBLIC finds funding. £2m seems like such a small amount in the context of money invested into buildings/arts projects in the West Midlands and I would hate to see the building lie empty after all the work that has brought it almost to completion.
I guess the question that will hold off investors is whether £2m is a final figure, or will it overrun again.

The following is why I have problems with the Conservative Party on a local level.They simply don't have vision.Imagination can be expensive but I prefer it.


Opinion turns against The Public
By Chris Howes
Apr 3, 2006
The controversial £52 million The Public arts complex was dealt another blow today after the majority of people asked in a new survey were totally opposed to the troubled development.

A total of 5,000 leaflets were handed out on the Charlemont and Great Barr areas of the borough. Sandwell's Tory group hoped to find out if people were for or against the notorious scheme. A massive 97 per cent of people surveyed said they were totally opposed to the landmark building, which has recently run into financial trouble.

Just three per cent of the leaflets returned to the Conservative group said people were in favour of the development.

All the responses came within nine days of them being delivered, which the party says shows the huge strength of feeling against the arts development.

Deputy Tory party leader Councillor Tony Ward said the results were "astounding".

"We decided to do this survey as part of our normal leaflets, we wanted to know if the claims that people in Sandwell are behind this.

"I think this proves overwhelmingly that that is not the case. People are very much against this and against the concept of an arts centre.

"But they do want it used for something else instead of just being left to the college or retail or something like that."

Councillor Ward said the complex should now be used as a sports facility or theatre to encourage people back top the town.

He said there could also be youth facilities incorporated into the complex to tackle the problem of bored teenagers on the street.

The Public ran into trouble earlier this year after bosses called in the administrators.

Bosses are looking at a way to keep the complex on track and finished on budget.

No-one was available for comment from The Public.

" He said there could also be youth facilities incorporated into the complex to tackle the problem of bored teenagers on the street. "

Unless he's planning on letting them smoke weed and drink cans of lager he's wasting his time.

Maybe they should just take the "L" out of the name and relaunch it as The Pubic - a load of old bollocks. That's what it is. Nice waste of money too, I must add. :|

Driving home and thought I'd pass by the pUBLIC. It's a bit bonkers and I love it. Sorry about the quality of some of these pics.

Public realm works appear to be complete now.
http://i12.tinypic.com/2u47v34.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/2hx59p2.jpg

http://i1.tinypic.com/4c7nrqp.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/2r254yp.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/3z17i4m.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/2u55q3c.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/3y5d28k.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/2rhnztl.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/30hpo9h.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/2hyxmbb.jpg

It looks really unusual. I don't know whether I like it or what. What puts me off is the overall box shape but I love the quirky window shapes and details. Is that window still broken?

Thanks alot for the pictures, it looks quite nice at dusk!

It's a bit like selfriges in a way. It's so different that initially you don't really know what to make of it.

The interior looks incredible from the glimpses through the windows. I can't wait to see it finished

... if it's finished.

I think you've hit the nail on the head for me Erebus. If it weren't a box I think I would love it (maybe if it wasn't black either? But it looks right somehow).

Thanks for the pics Foxy. Must go and check this out now it's unwrapped.

http://i18.tinypic.com/3y5d28k.jpg

always reminds me of a gimp mask for some reason. Proabably just me on that one.

^^:lol:

They look like a series of clown's/mime's mouths, although the lower one to the left of the corner looks lightly vaginal.

I'll go now...

Thanks Foxtrot, I've been looking for updates on this and other Alsop projects for ages (he has no website since going bust). I think it looks really cool and i've become a big fan of Alsop in recent years. His renders always look a bit daft but when you see finished articles they tend to look really good quality and, if nothing else, they add a great deal of fun and entrertainment to the streetscape, which, IMO we could do with a lot more of.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=433657

I don't know how familliar you are with West Bromwich but almost all of the town centre is hideously bad and can do with knocking down. This is without doubt the single most impressive building (although WBA fans may disagree) and a very welcome, if slightly overdue, addition to the town.

I don't know how familliar you are with West Bromwich but almost all of the town centre is hideously bad and can do with knocking down. This is without doubt the single most impressive building (although WBA fans may disagree) and a very welcome, if slightly overdue, addition to the town.

The Hawthornes (an ugly stadium) isn't even in West Bromwich is it? I do like the Bond Wolfe, that's not too bad a building.

Well it's close enough :)

The West Bromwich Building Society Headquarters, Town hall and a few historic pubs are the only other good buildings I can think of

An article on The Public which may interest people, especially Foxy:

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=453&storycode=3105076&c=2

Thanks Bio that's a great article and restoring my confidence in the project

The Cave space at the top of the ramp on the the third floor contains an interactive projection artwork. Flannery redesigned this element to a budget that was 90% less than the original.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/x/n/g/Alsop_model356_path_ready.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/Graphic/v/x/f/longsection.jpg

I was in West Brom this weekend and after a swifty in the old billiards hall before the Burnley game I took these

http://i30.tinypic.com/anuop.jpg

I like this little modernist effort opposite too
http://i26.tinypic.com/2elzhw8.jpg

Thanks Foxy - I am warming to it and ater reading the article I have a little more disdain for Alsop but more confidence in the scheme. The interviewee was quite the diplomat!

It does look rather cool inside, and the outside is ageing well I think. I am certainly keen to go and have a look around :)

Yep, having read it, I do get the impression Alsop didn't pay enough attention to engineering or the final cost of the project. Ambitious, but over-designed in places. Good to see it's still progressing though.

that's trippy :nuts:

i love it :happy:

I was in West Brom this weekend and after a swifty in the old billiards hall before the Burnley game I took these

http://i30.tinypic.com/anuop.jpg
[/IMG]

Thanks for the update Foxtrot ; it looks very good there . I've been known to have a few beers in that pub too .

Pleasant enough in there but I felt like the youngest person. I think the average age of the customers was like 70

I found a couple of interior shots on BDonline. It's going to be quite dramatic when it's done.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/s/j/q/Public_inside_mvs4820_ready.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/s/h/n/Public_pods_ready.jpg

Great pics but heres a few questions, what is The Public? And where is it?

^^Unopened modern art gallery in West Bromwich. I think... :)

Yeah more or less

The Public was formed from Jubilee Arts. This was an independent community arts, media and communications company based in West Bromwich and set up by Sylvia King in 1974. To quote her Jubilee engages with its diverse publics in a wide range of art forms and participatory activities, tackling issues of social exclusion, cultural identity, education, health, social sustainability, regeneration and developing urban form. Jubilee does this through the tools of technology and creativity working with artists, designers, musicians, film makers, crafts makers and community groups, individuals, public artists and other design professionals.

Basically they set out to build 100,000 square feet of galleries and studios, theatre space, workshops and meeting rooms for community-arts projects and Will Alsop got the gig to design it. Alsop described it as 'The crossover between the arts and social services. It's something new, it doesn't fit a slot. It's not just a gallery, or a workshop, or an advice centre. It's all of those things and more.'

Funding came from a variety of sources Arts Council England (46%); European Regional Development Fund (21%); Advantage West Midlands (10%); Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (18%) and New Deal for Communities (5%). The cost was £39.4 million.

Unfortunately Alsop got into financial trouble which impacted on the project and then the project managers also withdrew. In the end the project required £12m to finish and the administrators made everyone redundant.

The £12m was stumped up by Arts Council England, Sandwell council and Advantage West Midlands to complete the project and in October 2006, Sandwell council took over from the administrators and became the client.

The Public will still deliver what it set out to provide and I believe Sandwell College may also use some of the building.

It's here
(http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=b1&ie=UTF8&ll=52.519067,-1.992602&spn=0.001222,0.002511&t=h&z=19&om=0)and I think it will be something very special in a place which is unfortunately very bleak and deprived.

Hurrah!
I'm so pleased to see there is a future for The Public and a time has been set for its opening.
Lord knows how this ran into so much trouble in the first place. It only went over-budget by 25% - surely that's par for the course.

Thanks for posting the article Bio/Foxy.

The public is due to open on 28th June

At last .I hope it proves to be successful .

^^they are not really trying very hard then:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/7433035.stm

Tax-funded gallery charges public

The Public is due to reopen at the end of June
An art gallery which was saved by taxpayers' money will charge people almost £7 to enter.

The Public arts centre in West Bromwich was taken over by Sandwell Council after its owners went into administration in 2006.

It was effectively saved by a government grant of £1.6m and is expected to reopen its doors again at the end of June.

Most art galleries in the West Midlands are free to the public.

No details have been released about what exhibits it will offer but the gallery's website said it would "showcase an impressive selection of art from local, national and international artists".

Adults will be charged £6.95 to enter the gallery while concessions will be charged £4.95. A family ticket would cost £20.



I think that is appalling - they need to cover running costs but surely a grant will do that?

They should have it free for the first 6 months or something otherwise they run the risk of people not going, cementing the whole scheme as a botch job.

^^It has been given a grant. A £30 million grant if I remember correctly. This has caused absolute outrage when you compare it to the £15 million grant that the Walsall Art Gallery has received.

Outrage as gallery gets £30m

Controversial arts gallery The Public is causing consternation across the country after picking up more than £30 million of Arts Council cash as other grants are slashed.

It has been revealed that not only has the funding body picked up much of the tab for the £54 million building in West Bromwich, it is expected to pay £500,000 a year on running costs.

Established arts groups that have had funding cut are angry that the project has picked up such a large lump sum, with 185 organisations having grants removed.

Shadow arts spokesman Ed Vaizey said: “I can’t imagine how annoyed some of these companies will feel when they learn the Arts Council has spent so much on one project and that its costs have spiralled out of control.

“I just wonder if the Public is going to be a shocking-pink white elephant.”

Critics have contrasted it with the New Art Gallery in
Walsall, which opened in 2000 with £15m of Arts Council money.

Like the Public, it was built to help regenerate a run-down area but it has remained popular with a core collection of works by artists such as Constable and Monet.

The Public, voted in an ITV poll last November the “biggest waste of taxpayers’ money in Britain”, will instead focus on interactive “virtual” displays.

The gallery was conceived two decades ago and the Arts Council gave it seed money of £1m in 1999.

It will finally open its doors later this month following years of setbacks and millions of pounds of investment.

Critics claim that the technology at the core of the gallery will date and have questioned the fact that no “big names” in the art world will feature in the displays.
http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/02/outrage-as-gallery-gets-30m/

The express and star are shit stirrers. I was drinking with one of their journalists this weekend. These guys have more or less turned the local population against the public. :applause:

Having said that it will be a shocking-pink white elephant if they charge entry. Sounds short sighted and a mistake. If people want to see art they'll go to Walsall or the Ikon instead.

Architect: Public is my best building

The architect who brought the Black Country the controversial The Public arts centre has declared: “It’s my best ever building.”

Will Alsop described The Public in West Bromwich as his “best building” yet, despite leaving the project unfinished three years ago after his company was forced into receivership.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/06/architect-public-is-my-best-building/

Architect: Public is my best building

The architect who brought the Black Country the controversial The Public arts centre has declared: “It’s my best ever building.”

Will Alsop described The Public in West Bromwich as his “best building” yet, despite leaving the project unfinished three years ago after his company was forced into receivership.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/06/architect-public-is-my-best-building/


all the best buildings in the uk over run, go over budget and are eyesores to the rest of the population...unless the building is government led...its gota be his best work by that definitiion hahahah

Funny, but true - many of our most-loved buildings are criticised at the outset :yes:

Better:

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2008/06/09/discounts-to-new-arts-complex-for-nearby-families-97319-21046219/

Discounts to new arts complex for nearby families
Jun 9 2008 By Dale Williams

A LANDMARK multi-million pound arts complex opening soon will have discounted entry rates for families living nearby. it was revealed today.

The Public, opening its doors on Saturday June 28, is to offer various discounts to Sandwell-based visitors of Public Gallery, the interactive digital arts centre at the heart of the iconic building.

Public Gallery has introduced a low price annual membership scheme for visitors and a Public card has been introduced for more frequent visitors who are keen to take advantage of a range of special offers available.

Annual membership to Public Gallery will normally cost £30 but for a limited period to celebrate the launch, Sandwell residents can subscribe for a discounted rate of £10 upon showing proof of address.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=427&storycode=3115788&c=2&encCode=00000000015f2e2f

It has been eight years in the making, has caused huge controversy and still The Public remains something of a mystery.

The Express & Star is the first newspaper to get inside the centre ahead of the official opening on June 28.

But this was no see-all look at the £54 million attraction in West Bromwich.




Article

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/17/first-glimpse-inside-the-public/

Pictures

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/17/inside-the-public/

Wow. Pics look pretty good!

Thanks for the post :)

Some more interior images from E&S.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/24/pictures-from-inside-the-public/

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880700public-12-rh-24.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880703public-14-rh-24.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880710public-13-rh-24.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880732public-19-rh-24.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880737public-21-rh-24.jpg

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2880672public-6-rh-24.jpg

Did anyone see this on the channel 4 news this evening?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1529573111/bclid1614370331/bctid1626108203

I did, the gentleman at the end summed up the optimism, crushed.

Heard it is free entry this weekend?

Forgot to post this from the 19th. Was in the G2 section of the Guardian


All aboard the fun palace

With its floating galleries, sloping walls and exhibits that talk back to you, Will Alsop's daring new arts centre was worth all the wrangling. Steve Rose gets the first look inside
Marlene Smith, the director of The Public, introduces the gallery here

Thursday June 19, 2008
The Guardian

'I have now built enough buildings that the public really enjoy," says Will Alsop. "I have the facts and figures to back that up - and yet I still get slapped around the face by people who say, 'It's not architecture.' If it's not architecture, what the fuck is it?"
Alsop is talking about The Public, a troubled project that has given his reputation something of a battering. The Public was supposed to be a new kind of arts centre, a civic landmark that would leapfrog its home, West Bromwich, into a new cultural league and regenerate the entire region. And who better to design it than Alsop, the London-based architect who doesn't so much think outside the box as paint the box a crazy colour and put it on wonky stilts several storeys above the street?

The Public is essentially a box, albeit a big black one with pink-trimmed jellybean windows that stands out in West Bromwich's town centre like a Prada bag in an everything-for-a-pound shop. But before it could do any regenerating, The Public wound up having to regenerate itself. It was scheduled to open in 2005, but the budget leapt from £41m to £54m. The investors, primarily Arts Council England, pulled the plug, Alsop was shown the door, and the building lay dormant for the next two years, apparently destined for a plot in the graveyard of Lottery-funded white elephants, alongside Sheffield's National Centre for Popular Music and Doncaster's Earth Centre.
Around the same time, Alsop's practice also ran into financial difficulties and was bought out by the SMC group. The two things were unrelated - but, between them, they appeared to confirm the opinion that Alsop was the sort of architect who would prefer to be outside painting with a glass of wine in one hand, rather than holed up in the office poring over the figures with his accountant. But, at the end of this month, the people of West Bromwich and beyond will finally get to have their say on The Public. A new financial plan was drafted and another architectural firm, Flannery and de la Pole, have finished off the construction, which was 85% complete when Alsop left.

Despite its history, Alsop thinks it's the best thing he's ever done. It certainly promises to make quite an impression. The exterior gives few clues as to what's inside: a riot of bright colours, crazy forms, vibrant lighting and dynamic spaces. Rather than a straightforward stack of floor levels, the internal spaces are free-floating elements that hang off the structure, without touching either the walls or the ceiling.

These are typically "Alsopian" forms, ones that can only be described in terms of everyday objects. There's the "sock", an amorphous, enclosed exhibition space with sloping walls; there's the "pebble", a shiny metallic blob frozen halfway through the wall on the ground floor (rather disappointingly, it houses the toilets); and, instead of bog-standard offices, there are the "lilypads" - open pods of white plastic designed for "creative businesses" that float over all the other levels. Connecting these elements is a 250-metre-long ramp that snakes down from the third floor to the ground, with exhibition spaces dotted along it.

"Arts facilities normally fall into a number of categories," says Alsop. "You have things called 'theatres' and things called 'galleries' and so-called 'social centres', which are very well defined. If you try and mix all those things together without falling into archetypical responses to what they are, that's an extraordinary challenge. You couldn't define this project in terms of any other project. This is something new - and therefore we don't know what it is, quite."

As for the art, The Public is boldly aiming to bypass the whole "paintings on white walls" game, providing instead a hi-tech, interactive experience that's intended to be enlightening and engaging. Every visitor gets an electronic tag to wear, and the first thing they do on arrival is input some information, such as a voice sample, and pick some signature words, colours and textures. Then, as you go through the galleries, the exhibits "recognise" you. Your voice sample might be played back at you as a sound installation, or you'll see your signature words joining a "data stream" running down wallscreens like waterfalls as you draw near. It's conceptual highbrow meets end-of-the-pier ghost train.

One permanent piece, Flypad, is like a communal arcade game. You control a computer-generated 3D avatar of yourself by standing on a floor pad. On a screen in front of you, your avatar flies around, colliding with those of other "players" and exchanging body parts with them. Constable's Hay Wain this ain't. "We've got a generation of artists who are working with audiences in a different way," says Marlene Smith, The Public's director. "It's about enabling the participant to be creative."

West Bromwich has seen better days. It's a typical post-industrial ghost town with little to attract outsiders, not even a bookshop or a cinema. The Public should at least make the town a worthwhile destination. As well as the art, the building's ground floor will function as a "covered square", with a cafe and a venue for gigs and plays. But by encouraging artistic participation, The Public also hopes to motivate the community to play an active role in wider regeneration plans. Opposite the building, a new shopping centre, including a cinema, is due to begin construction. New apartment buildings, a college and better public spaces are also planned. Like its football team, West Bromwich could yet find the motivation to drag itself up a league.

All of which is what Alsop intended, he says. The blame for the project going into administration was jointly laid at the feet of Alsop and Sylvia King, the project's chief instigator, who founded the local Jubilee Arts Trust in the 1970s and developed The Public out of it. "Either of them, teamed with a more disciplined partner, might have made the project work," wrote Deyan Sudjic in the Observer in 2006. "Putting the two together has stretched the experimental nature of the project too far."

Naturally, Alsop resents the accusation. "I'm much more serious than that," he says, insisting the cost overruns were nothing to do with the actual construction, only with the financial details of the project. According to him, King discovered a £3m "hole" in the business plan that was more down to accountancy errors than anything else. "I said to her, 'You have to tell the funding bodies.' She did and they put it into administration immediately - they panicked." That's not quite how Marlene Smith remembers it. She puts the cost overruns down to "a range of design and construction issues and delays". But perhaps it no longer matters, now that there's a new building with such wondrous potential standing in West Bromwich.

A project that springs to mind walking around The Public is Cedric Price's Fun Palace. This scheme from the early 1960s proposed a flexible "laboratory of fun", something like a shipyard, in which, as Price put it, you could "choose what you want to do - or watch someone else doing it. Learn how to handle tools, paint, machinery, or just listen to your favourite tune." Although never actually built, the Fun Palace was an eccentric yet influential project, credited as the inspiration for the Pompidou Centre. There's more than a little of its "do what you please" populist philosophy in The Public.

Alsop worked for Price in the mid-1970s, and is in many ways his successor on the British architecture scene. He inherited Price's sentiment that architecture should be fun, that it should make people happy rather than simply fulfil its intended function. Of course, there comes a point where the playfulness has to be translated into boring old work, which is where the problems started. But whoever is to blame for The Public's difficulties, West Bromwich surely has Alsop to thank for giving the town something of joy that will hopefully restore the fortunes of all concerned.

"The people who blindly follow rules and 'best practice' produce most of the dull architecture in this country," says Alsop. "Their stuff is merely building. Architecture is building plus something. As I get older, I don't want to explain what that something is - that would spoil it."

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/architecture/story/0,,2286194,00.html

Pictures of the public
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2008/jun/18/public

I saw this on local TV and the news. The building looks rather splendid, as does the interior, but the exhibits look like that sort of dumbed down stuff they put in the Millennium dome. I certainly wouldn't pay to see a load of computer screens change colour. Seems a bit odd.

Yes I have to agree the exhibits do look a very 'Millenium Domeish'

Heard it is free entry this weekend?

Yes - sounds like a good opportunity to go.

Bet Foxy will be there if he can :)

Oh yes, I'll definitely be there on Saturday. I don't want to sound a bit of a saddo but it would like to be first through the door. Maybe I'll take my sleeping bag on Friday night.

I'm genuinely very excited!!!

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/28/first-visitors-tour-public/

First visitors tour Public

Controversial arts centre The Public finally opened to visitors today, but visitors were slow to pour into the £54m complex.

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/wd2889772public-4-ae-28.jpg

£7?

You might go once, but... only once. Can't see people going to come from Leeds or London, or Paris to see an out of town Shopping building painted black with a couple of pink windows.

Wot's in it? A lot of seen it all before interactive rubbish that challenges what art is about? Again.

One permanent piece, Flypad, is like a communal arcade game. You control a computer-generated 3D avatar of yourself by standing on a floor pad. On a screen in front of you, your avatar flies around, colliding with those of other "players" and exchanging body parts with them.

This Art gallery is going to fail isn't it?

I think you're absolutely right. And, in fairness I don't think that it's a location issue either - It'd still be on very shaky ground even if it was in the centre of Birmingham. It's just going to be another ill thought out, overexpensive white elephant I'm affraid.

Sandwell council obviously never paid attention to Millenium Point!

Yes I have to agree the exhibits do look a very 'Millenium Domeish' - never a good selling point for a major public project.

Or Urbis in Manchester when that opened - the building was ok but the "exhibits" were dull and I simply couldn't be arsed to interact with the screens. I'm told Urbis has improved - anyone been there recently?

I think you're absolutely right. And, in fairness I don't think that it's a location issue either - It'd still be on very shaky ground even if it was in the centre of Birmingham. It's just going to be another ill thought out, overexpensive white elephant I'm affraid.

Sandwell council obviously never paid attention to Millenium Point!

Have you been to the Thinktank at Millennium Point? The problem with that place is that it's quite expensive to get in to and Brummies have never got over the fact that the old Science Museum was free and this is not. There's been so much bad press and bad mouthing of the place from people who have never set foot in it that it puts people off going - and this really angers me.

I eventually went and had a really enjoyable afternoon looking at the exhibits in the Thinktank (I'd like to see a bit more of the stuff from the old science museum though); the Planetarium was ok (apart from the cheesy American narration) and the IMAX is a really undervalued asset in this city.

Thinktank is the wrong name - what it really needs is a relaunch as the National Museum of the Industrial Age - or something like that.

Have you been to the Thinktank at Millennium Point? The problem with that place is that it's quite expensive to get in to and Brummies have never got over the fact that the old Science Museum was free and this is not. There's been so much bad press and bad mouthing of the place from people who have never set foot in it that it puts people off going - and this really angers me.

I eventually went and had a really enjoyable afternoon looking at the exhibits in the Thinktank (I'd like to see a bit more of the stuff from the old science museum though); the Planetarium was ok (apart from the cheesy American narration) and the IMAX is a really undervalued asset in this city.

Thinktank is the wrong name - what it really needs is a relaunch as the National Museum of the Industrial Age - or something like that.

I have. And I was impressed with the whole building to be fair. Biggest problem with it, is that it was built 20 years before the rest of the stuff surrounding it will be completed, as it seems its going to be 10 years before the rest of Eastside is done.

So, as with the Public there isn't (or doesn't appear to be) quite enough to do for a full day there - and nothing immediately surrounding it either. So why would anybody from outside the area come to visit? Why would anybody local visit more than once? Especially at those admission prices?

I now only go there on the very rare occeasion when I take the car into town (I usually get the train) because the carpark is cheap. Judging by the number of cars in the carpark vs the comlete lack of people in the building, it would seem that I'm not the only one!

I do like your idea for the name change. If they were to do that, then the 3 wise men statue would have an ideal location to move to - in the new park out front of MP.

it's a shame we can't have an Urbis, but better one for Birmingham as we have quite a history of urban development and regeneration not to mention historically important Bournville Village.

I think based on the attraction the American's a specific Pre-Raphaelite only museum linked with a regional offshoot of V&A would be good.

Urbis wasn't bad last time I was there although the bit with 'Why is Manchester Second City' was quite funny ;) quite a few post it's about it's not or because Birmingham is first :lol:

The city has so much potential in possible museums, they just need to be well planned and free.

I went on a gallery extravaganza yesterday, well, by extravaganza I mean I went to walsall and west brom. I feel mislead by midlands today and newspapers who said this had opened, because well it hasn't, only the ground floor and theatre are open.

I have to say, there are quite a few things wrong with this building, though to be fair, alot of it is to do with its surroundings. It is completely and utterly at odds with everything around it, which would be fine, but instead of offering a useful contrast it is simply overbearing and relates to nothing around it, just about the only public use it seemed to have for passers by was for people using it as a throughfare from the shopping centre (some even pushed their trolleys through it!), and whilst they may be about to demolish the crappy shopping centre and build a new tescos, I don't think that'll solve much, if anything about the area.

The main problem though, is that the building isn't there to serve the people of west bromwich, it is there to serve the ego's of the people that designed and will run it, charging £7 to get into a gallery in one of the most deprived places in the west midlands shows that clearly. I know the bad press this building has got will already have put many off, and the people most likely to beleive the bad press are those this building was supposed to be for, the people living in economic and cultural deprivation.

I asked one of the staff what it'll be like when it opens properly, what the exhibitions will be, and he explained about the uniqueness it will offer. Everyone visitng will be given a tag (after paying their £7), and will input some data onto the tag, such as favourite colour, words that are important to you etc etc, then as you approach each exhibit, it will change according to your tag. Now I am pretty sure there is nothing else in the country (if not the world) that will offer this experience, and fair play to them for that. But the cost will be off putting to many and whilst it is a genuinely different experience to any other gallery I am not sure it will be the renaissance building sandwell and west bromwich wanted.

However, it is an intersting building and I took some pictures, it is certainly striking and west bromwich does have some potential, but only if the tescos scheme is done right.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/alkl7.jpg

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http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/alkl5.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/alkl3.jpg

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w314/concretelover/alkl4.jpg

Popped in on the way back from the Sandwell Show today. It opens properly in October and I was genuinely impressed.

http://i34.tinypic.com/t9fwoy.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/182kgm.jpg

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http://i34.tinypic.com/32ztkjr.jpg

Erm.... Is it actually open yet? Does look impressive inside, but I can't help but notice that there are hardly any people in it.

If that is open, and that's what it gets on a Bank Holiday(?) then I'd seriously have to worry about it.

The gallery is not open yet.

From BD

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/468xAny/k/t/t/Public_ext_mvs4758_ready.jpg (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story_attachment.asp?storycode=3128706&seq=1&type=P&c=1)
We won’t bail out The Public, says council

28 November 2008
By Will Henley (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/biography.asp?contact=17972)

Sandwell Council and Arts Council England are in crisis talks over the future of Will Alsop’s The Public, which has yet to open its flagship interactive gallery to a single paying visitor.

The gallery, which opened in June, hoped to attract up to 130,000 visitors in its first year, generating around £60,000 per month in ticket revenues, but it has been shut since June because of technical glitches with computerised exhibits.
Steve Eling, councillor in charge of strategic resources, ruled out a bail-out to help it cope with the shortfall. “They needn’t bother coming to us,” he said. “If the gallery doesn’t work, it doesn’t bloody work. If there was any request for further money, it’s likely [the council] would turn it down.”
The Arts Council, which has pumped £500,000 into the gallery this year, said it was “monitoring” the situation. “Clearly there has been some anticipated revenue lost, and this will be factored into the future business plan,” said a spokeswoman.
Alsop has called on the council to rethink its position.
“The [backers] should understand that [technical glitches] happen,” he said. “The public won’t thank them for letting it go bankrupt a second time,” he said.

Just a quarter of the building’s commercial office space has been let, and other revenues such as café earnings are being hit by the limited number of visitors.
David Clarke, the council’s project director for The Public, said he expected the interactive exhibition space would be open by the end of this year.
He added: “The big question for the gallery and Arts Council England is how they get through this difficult time and deal with the financial implications.”
The Public has suffered a troubled history since winning planning a decade ago. Both the architect and original client went bust, while budget overruns saw costs soar from £39.4 million to a reported £61.7 million.
Sandwell and Arts Council England stepped in to save the project in 2006.

I hope a good rescue package is found - the council need to get behind it and put it to good use. They would soon take the credit if it brings in tourists or wins accolades.

Can't it be used as West Bromwich's Central Library? And how about if it also incorporated a 3d cinema too? It should be run in a similar vein to Millennium Point.

Library's not a bad idea.

ARTS COUNCIL SHUNS THE PUBLIC
28-01-2009

West Brom’s Public Arts Centre faces an uncertain future after one of its key funders refused to back a new business plan. The Centre – seen as a cornerstone of regeneration for the Black Country town – had requested an extra £500,000 a year in support from the Arts Council.

Here’s the Arts Council statement released today:

The National Council of Arts Council England met yesterday (27 January 2009) to consider a request for additional funding for the Public Gallery Ltd and The Public building.

After lengthy consideration of a business plan and independent assessments of the artistic offer - in particular the gallery, which has been the focus of Arts Council funding - a decision was reached that the Arts Council is unable to support the new business plan.

This decision was not reached lightly and in making it, the Arts Council recognises the considerable efforts made by the team at The Public to realise their pioneering and ambitious vision.

Sir Christopher Frayling, Chair of Arts Council England, said: "We are the national development agency for the arts, and investing in ground breaking creative projects that have the potential to give more people access to great art is central to what we do.

"That is why we supported this project and why, at every stage, we have worked with our partners and carefully weighed the level of risk involved against the potential public benefit.

"But the fact is that, although the building is open, the interactive art gallery at the centre of the vision for The Public is not. We have done everything we can but there comes a point where we have to make a difficult judgement - and regretfully, that moment is now."

The absence of a firm opening date for the gallery and the considerable increase in annual revenue funding required by the integrated business plan was central in the Arts Council's decision not to fund this plan.

Arts Council England is, however, offering Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), who own and operate the building, an award of up to £3m to allow them to develop a revised integrated artistic and business plan and to bring the building fully into public use. The Arts Council's intention is that the significant investment made by all the funders will benefit the residents of Sandwell.

We will be talking to SMBC about how best the Arts Council can support them in developing this plan.

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/arts-council-shuns-the-public-2801091.html

Could we move this to the construction forum?

The Public is just a big embarrassment
Jan 27 2009 by Richard McComb, Birmingham Post

It is always difficult to let go when dying beasts are concerned.

While there remains the realistic chance of survival, and the possibility of a decent quality of life, one is tempted to provide on-going care. Hang the expense, we say. If there’s a chance she might pull through, we aren’t going to give up.

On occasions, however, there is no point prolonging the agony. Painful as it is, it’s impossible to escape the fact that the time has come to call in the vet to administer the lethal, loving injection. It’s best all round, really. We wouldn’t want her to suffer.

So it is with the poor pink elephant of West Bromwich, although there won’t be many tears shed when the needle goes in.

For in truth few people have ever been near her; fewer still love her.

The elephant in question also goes by the totalitarian name of The Public and is a part-time conceptual arts centre and full-time waste of space.

The Public (thank goodness they didn’t forget the “l”) started life as a white elephant but turned pink when the tremendously clever architects commissioned with frittering away our cash decided to touch up the blobby daylight openings (otherwise known as windows) in ghastly shades of Barbie.
The Public

But this isn’t any old waste of space. For the people of West Bromwich, a deluded attempt to bring arts to the masses simply wasn’t good enough. No, that had been done before.

Old hat, dear boy. This had to be a deluded attempt to bring arts to the masses on a grand, utterly tasteless, utterly useless scale.

The Public came in massively over budget, opened late and the digital widget things that were meant to inspire failed to work because the wiring and the cabling was as effective as spaghetti.

Oh, yes, and then there’s the money. We better mention that. It’s cost £60million of public money to keep this elephant afloat amid a tsunami of management ineptitude.

In most parts of the country, even in the South East, £60million is a lot of cash. It may only get you slightly over half a Kaka but it will pay the wages of many, many teachers, police officers, nurses, doctors and bods who are generally working for the greater good.

Remember, too, that West Bromwich is part of Sandwell, which is one of the most deprived areas of Britain. According to a briefing note, Indices of Deprivation: Sandwell 2007, published last summer, the borough ranks as the 10th most hard-up in the country, putting it on a par with Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Infant mortality and teenage conception rates are above the national average while academic attainment is well below.

Is an area with problems as entrenched as these best served with “a dynamic space with no vertical walls”? Has there been a more crass attempt to patronise the working classes?

The Arts Council may pull the plug today. That the decision has taken so long beggars belief.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2009/01/28/arts-council-pulls-funding-from-the-public-gallery-in-west-bromwich-65233-22802900/

I love how one of the visitors to the Public on BBC News yesterday said "It's a bit high class for us in West Brom init?" :happy:

It's sad to see the funding pulled but you can't blame them. It was the right decision, IMO.

I have no idea what it's purpose is? What's it for? Why would I go? Despite the cost I've seen no publicity at all about what's in there!?

It's an interactive art gallery which is going to cost about seven quid to go round :eek: http://www.thepublic.com/

From what I've seen it looks very good but sadly (and I hope I'm proven wrong) I think it will be used for something else within five years. What that may be is anyone's guess but Sandwell MBC own it and the University of Wolverhampton music students are based there.

The interior does not look very flexible.

It's a shambles, and the fact it's not even fully open yet doesn't bode well for it at all, I mean when they do open how many visitors do they reckon they'll get? I don't think many in West Bromwich will want to pay £7 for it, it'll just end up a place for schooltrips. I certainly can't see anyone from further a field making the effot to come here, nobody from outside of west bromwich really knows about it.

Having that much money spent on it you'd think it would be full of stuff of national importance, like some of the other big lottery projects across the country.

But what is actually in there is a total mystery!

If you look at the new gallery in Walsall and compare it with this there are two clear examples of how to, and how not to go about regenerating a town with an art gallery.

Walsall had a much easier task being as they already had a substantial and very prestigious art collection, whereas West Brom had to start from scratch, but appointing Will Alsop as architect is where it started to go wrong, I like his architecture, but as the centrepiece of regeneration for a culturally and economically deprived Black Country town I can not think of an architect more likely to create something totally at odds with what the local people would want. And the result is as was expected, a VERY controversial building with few local admirers, few admirers anywhere I'd have thought, it's not a successful building aesthetically.

By contrast the Walsall gallery is a model of architectural constraint and accessibility. It's not a dull building, it's rather quirky and the quality is amazing, it doesn't try and impose itself on a harsh lanscape it is tucked in very neatly, it looks fine as it is now even without the rest of the waterfront being built.

So considering the pig ugliness of the building itself, the public then needs something to drag the visitors in... and an interactive art gallery could have been just that. The way it is supposed to work would be ace, exhibits tailored to each individuals tastes, changing from person to person, AWESOME. Then they decide to charge £7 each for it, and then they realise they'll still be needing massive subsidies to keep it open, and all this before the fucking interactive art gallery is open to the "PUBLIC".

The irony would be funny if it wasn't for the fact this whole project has been a total failure.

I am not surprised the Arts Council pulled their funding - the project has been a disaster.

My guess is with Foxy - a college (or new Black Country Uni) will take most of the space and perhaps leave the theatre section for public use?

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/arts-councils-good-news-snub-for-public-2901091.html

Interesting take :)

Maybe I'll get in for free. :D

Uni set for move into The Public

Wolverhampton University is in talks to set up a new home at troubled Black Country arts centre The Public, in West Bromwich, it has been revealed today.

University bosses are in negotiations to invest in an entire floor of the £63 million centre – despite fears its main gallery will never open after the Arts Council withdrew funding.

Leader of Sandwell council, Councillor Bill Thomas said: “The university is hoping to take up the whole of the fourth floor.

“Now that the council has full control of the building we can operate on a much more commercial basis.”

Ashar Edsan, director of marketing and communication at Wolverhampton University confirmed the plans.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/01/29/uni-set-for-move-into-the-public/

It's pretty similar to the state of Millennium Point in 2001 - the contents are slightly different to the The pUBLIC but with the ITC, Marketing Bham and others being tennants it really creates a new commuinity and a buzz too. When MP opened it fell well short of its projected visitor figures but has steadily picked up over the years - lets hope Sandwell has the same good fortune. I must say, as soon as the interactive gallery open I'll take my son along.

I love how one of the visitors to the Public on BBC News yesterday said "It's a bit high class for us in West Brom init?" :happy:

It's sad to see the funding pulled but you can't blame them. It was the right decision, IMO.

Someone else (or perhaps even the same person) on Radio 4 News was moaning that it should've been a cinema instead because she has to go to Dudley to get to the nearest one at the moment.

That is the problem with West Brom - there is nothing to do.

The public was going to be an art and meeting place for the town, the first step to fixing this problem.

Just the project was very poorly managed and leadership was poor.

Apart form the gallery being a failure, the rest of the development hasn't. Wolves uni are moving a music department there, offices are being let (over 50% let I have been told which is very good), Tesco are funding a major hundreds of millions of pounds development next to the Public, and a cinema chain is also interested.

The press have been very good at finding those who do not care about art.

I have been asked by a big wig at the Public if I can visit them to have a look around the unopened gallery. I was invited as a blogger, but they have stated I can't take photos or discuss the exhibits with anyone, including family etc. I declined the invitation if they wont let me talk about the gallery.

There's also a pleasant cafe bar and venue for live music

The Express & Star are just shit stirrers. I was out drinking with one of their journalists a while back and he pretty much admitted too.

Public is given another handout
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Arts Council is bailing out The Public again, after agreeing a “significant grant” to cover the cost of portraits taken for an exhibition that never happened.

More than 70 dog owners paid £50 a time to have their pets photographed as part of a project run by the now defunct Public Gallery Ltd.

The portraits were to be displayed in the gallery in West Bromwich, and copies sent to the owners as part of the deal. But the company went into administration, and now, after complaints from pet owners, The Public’s main funder, the Arts Council, has issued a grant to administrators Baker Tilly to pay for the pictures to be processed and delivered as promised.

Baker Tilly spokesman Bob Bailey said today: “We have been in contact with the photographer, and the photos are being processed in Canada. We are now looking at the most practical way of getting them to the dog owners.”

Canadian artist Shari Hatt, who took the photographs in December, was also left thousands of pounds out of pocket, when the company running the gallery collapsed last month.

She has been contacted by Baker Tilly who have assured her she will be paid in full.

In total, 72 dog owners paid for portraits of their pets to be shown at the gallery

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/03/18/public-is-given-another-handout/

Give up!

Seriously, after working 4 years in West Bromwich during its construction people really just want a leisure centre/swimming pool.

http://createdintheblackcountry.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/the-public-misunderstood-mismanaged-and-poorly-promoted/

Well worth a read and needs comments on the blog.

The Public needs a popular exhibition to get the visitors in. Maybe on the lines of prints and memorabilia of WBA football heroes or artefacts, prints of local bands / musicians (Robert Plant etc) - something so simple could turn the tide.

Great idea.

Instead of a dog gallery :ohno:

Ummm, maybe before having any exhibitions they should fully open what they already have!

The reason nobody is going there is because the main attraction hasn't opened yet, and will stupidly expensive if/when it does.

should be taken over by bmag and used as more space for the stuff in the warehouse

Public’s real ale festival a success
A real ale festival at The Public has been hailed a success by event organisers after more than 2,000 people flocked through the doors.

The Couture festival featured 16 independent breweries including Enville Ales, Loddon, Caledonian, Cotleigh, Holden’s, Wye Valley and Wild Walker.

Visitors to the event at the West Bromwich arts centre were also able to enjoy music from the Trevor Burton Band who provided a lively mix of blues-rock on Saturday from 4pm.

New Orleans jazz band Tipitina also played at the venue yesterday with an up-lifting mixture of gospel and boogie woogie.

Former cleaner June Turton, aged 64, of Tildesley Street, West Bromwich, said: “I have had a great time. I have tried nearly all of the ales. I really liked Enville Ginger Beer.”

Philip Hunt of Wednesbury celebrated his 49 birthday at the festival. “I have had a really good time,” he said.

More than 5,000 pints were sold, with a pint costing £2.50 and a half-pint £1.50. Event organiser Thaira Parveen said she was thrilled by the success of the festival.

The gallery part of The Public has gone into administration, and administrators were meeting with creditors today.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/04/06/publics-real-ale-festival-a-success/

Public will host first music festival

The first ever West Bromwich Music Festival will be taking place at controversial arts centre The Public, showcasing some of the region’s top talent.

The £63 million venue, which is yet to fully open to the public, will stage a series of free events and concerts from May 1-4.

It has been organised by production and training company Major Key Studios, the only firm to so far rent office space at the pink and black building in New Street, with students playing a major role in organising the showpiece event.

It will be the first music festival of its kind to take place in West Bromwich, kicking off at 6pm next Friday. Acts on the opening day include four-piece 60s blues and rock influenced The Blue Stones, Ska influenced Skatch and four-piece Birmingham indie rockers Missing Sid.

The following day glam rock-style The Sweethearts play along with respected blues and roots artist Ian Parker, teenage five-piece The Arcadian Kicks and singer Ellen Miller. The line-up on May 3 includes New Orleans jazz, gospel and boogie woogie influenced Tipitina. Taking to the stage on May 4 will be four-piece guitar-based rock and roll act The Elements, the blues and funk sound of the Steve Cooper Band and Blues Jam.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/04/24/public-will-host-first-music-festival/

They have to say "controversial arts centre " . I think it's copyrighted :)

Gives it an edge :)

Musicians paid £25k at PublicArtists and musicians who have performed at controversial Black Country arts centre The Public have been paid £25,050 of taxpayers’ money.

The figure was released under Freedom of Information laws.

Cash was shared between 85 acts at the West Bromwich gallery since June. It does not include events put on by Public Gallery Ltd, the private firm that went into administration in February.

Cash came out of £450,000 European Union funding for the Destination West Bromwich project set up by Sandwell Council. The council put £800,000 into the scheme.

The New Street gallery has so far cost £63 million and has not taken a paying customer because technology-based art was hit by glitches. All concerts and other events were free.

Councillor Tony Ward, leader of the Tory opposition in Sandwell, said spending more putting on events when the gallery was

not turning a profit seemed “very ill thought out.”

Sandwell Council data protection officer Nigel Parr declined to provide details on what each artist was paid.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/04/28/musicians-paid-25k-at-public/

To creat interest and attention you have to take some risks though. Hopefully visitors will realise that West Brom has a pretty amazing venue now and will patronise it in numbers.

Talks stall for The Public

Negotiations aimed at renting out two floors of office space at troubled West Bromwich arts centre The Public have stalled almost a year after the £63 million building opened.

Only one business, Major Key Studios, has moved in since last year’s June opening.

More than 15,000 sq ft of business space is still to let and the interactive gallery is yet to open.

Fifteen empty “lily pad” office spaces or ‘pods’ measuring 3,000 sq ft on the fourth floor aim to attract arts and creative industries.

An area on the second floor is designated for business use, but both are empty.

Property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton, the council’s letting agency for the business space, today confirmed it had been told to halt negotiations and had been given no indication on their resumption.

However, talks with Wolverhampton University, which hopes to take over the whole of the fourth floor as space for start-up businesses, are continuing.

Lambert Smith Hampton spokesman John Dillon said: “It is very frustrating, but at the moment we have been told to put everything on hold. We have been told that until there has been a firm decision as to which direction the building will be taken in, we can’t continue with talks.

“We are now waiting for instruction, but have been given no indication of when negotiations will be able to resume. This is despite the fact that there are lots of interested parties.”

Sandwell Leisure Trust is putting together a new business plan for the centre, after Public Gallery Limited, went into administration in February. Councillor Bob Badham, Sandwell’s regeneration boss, said he was unable to comment. He meets fellow councillors tomorrow for an update.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/05/05/talks-stall-for-the-public/

The Public is a box of delights – and delays

Surrounded by older buildings with their ordinary grey rooftops The Public certainly looks distinctive.

On a bright summer’s day, architect Will Alsop’s vision for the unusual building in West Bromwich as “a box of delights” begins to show.

The metallic blobs at the side gleam in the sunlight and the pink curves around the windows add colour to an otherwise fairly dull section of the town.

But despite the high hopes for the venture, the controversial £63 million art gallery is still not fully open almost a year since its original launch date passed.

A new business case is being put together by Sandwell Leisure Trust, which took over the gallery on a three-month trial basis in March.

It will be presented in July but until then the building remains on red alert on Sandwell Council’s risk register.


It scored 16, the highest possible, after being labelled a threat to the council’s finances and reputation. If the business case is accepted it will secure a further £3 million from the Arts Council.

Councillor Elaine Giles, chairman of Sandwell Council’s audit committee, said: “The Public is staying on red at the moment and is due to come back to us at the end of the month. It is moving forward but until the paperwork with the Leisure Trust is signed it will stay as it is on the register. The Trust is holding regular meetings about the business case.”

Paul Slater, chief executive of Sandwell Leisure Trust, today said he could not comment on the specifics of the business case because it was a work in progress.

He said: “The business case is progressing well and will be ready by July.”

Original projections for the gallery in New Street were based on it receiving 130,000 visitors a year, with proposals for a £6.95 charge for adults and £4.96 for children.

Sandwell Council has vowed the gallery will open as originally planned.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/06/02/the-public-is-a-box-of-delights-%e2%80%93-and-delays/

Today's news .

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/newsaggregator//tm_headline=arts-council-to-give-pound-3m-to-kickstart-the-public%26method=full%26objectid=24110247%26siteid=65233-name_page.html

How the Express and Star sees it .

Public saved by £3m grant

Controversial Black Country arts centre The Public has had its future secured for the next two years by a £3 million bailout.

The cash award from the Arts Council means the troubled £63 million West Bromwich venue should finally be fully open by the end of the summer.

The Public opened more than a year ago – two years late. But the promised state-of-the-art interactive gallery inside never opened as experts could not get the hi-tech exhibits to work.

Planned admission charges of almost £7 per person for the gallery have now been scrapped and the whole venue will instead open to visitors for free, funded by the latest handout, until 2011.

Bob Badham, regeneration boss at Sandwell Council, said: “We will not be charging for the gallery, which will be free to visit and will open for public previews on the August Bank Holiday, to coincide with the Sandwell Show.


“All the money we need to run the arts centre until 2011 is in place. Sandwell Council will not be asking the taxpayer for more money.

“The centre will cost £1 million a year to run, which is a far lower spend on arts in any similar authority.

“After 2011 we are eligible to apply for the same grants as any other arts organisations to cover these costs.”

A new firm, Sandwell Arts Trust, will be set up next month to run the centre.

The Arts Council last night approved a new business plan, put together by Sandwell Council and Sandwell Leisure Trust, after an earlier plan was rejected in January.

Critics today remained unconvinced.

Councillor Tony Ward, opposition Conservative group leader at the council, said: “I can’t believe that Sandwell taxpayers will not be forced to bail out the project again at some point.”

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/07/09/public-saved-by-3m-grant/

How about a compromise? Say 3 quid for adults with free concessions, or even a policy of offering what you think the gallery is worth in a slot in the wall? That would bring in some finance!

its West Brom
fail


whoever put the business plan together in the first place is pretty obviously stupid, wonder if they worked on this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Centre_for_Popular_Music

expecting the population of West Brom to pay £7 every year to see what?

The idea of the gallery was quite good, you'd have a small key card that would embedded with the data from some questions you were asked upon entering the gallery... Then when approaching, each exhibit would change to cater to the data on your card. That's pretty ace, I wouldn't mind paying for it. But £7 is excessive, especially for an area like West Bromwich.

Art gallery at Public to open permanently

The art gallery at the £67 million arts centre The Public will open permanently following the August Bank Holiday weekend, it was revealed today.

The Public’s state-of-the-art interactive gallery in West Bromwich opened for a weekend more than a year ago, two years late.

But although the rest of the arts centre remained open, the gallery was unable to take a single paying customer as hi-tech exhibits did not work.

Steel trees, digital waterfalls, flying avatars, winding paths and sound tunnels were some of the weird and wonderful exhibits to feature in the Public gallery, when it first opened last year. However, Sandwell Council has failed to confirm which exhibits will be working when the gallery opens its doors and how the exhibits will differ from those originally planned.

Admission charges of almost £7 per person have been scrapped and the venue will instead open to visitors for free.

The council claims that in the year the centre has been open, putting on free events, it has attracted 35,000 people.

The new business plan is based around an estimate of 70,000 people going through the doors each year.
http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/08/13/art-gallery-at-public-to-open-permanently/

About bloody time. This place has been nothing but a farce.

SMBC heads need to role.

Today's news on this subject .

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/11/16/public-taking-on-new-staff/

^^

Over inflated salaries, and probably not really required.

^^

Over inflated salaries, and probably not really required.
They are normal salaries. Nothing to complain about.

They are normal salaries. Nothing to complain about.

and still probably not needed.

Why do you say they are not needed? Who will run the venue?

High calibre, public sector management team required to run important regional arts centre with salary to match. I can't see why this is newsworthy either.

Another example of the Express and Star shit stirring. If these positions weren't offered or filled they'd be the first to kick up a fuss.

Just as long as they are high calibre. A friend of mine went there in the last few weeks to talk about making use of the theatre space and she reported that the lack of knowledge from the employees that they talked to - plus the incredibly poor design of the theatre and facilities there - beggared belief.

Midlands Today's 6:30 bulletin are carrying a "12 months to prove itself, or it will be scrapped" story about the Public.

If it's scrapped, it should be kept as a monument to the wastefulness of this type of project, and the stupidity of the people who spend our money building them.

By this 'type of project' I assume you mean regeneration strategies focused around cultural infrastructure, the Bilbao way of doing things... Whilst it has potentially failed spectacularly here, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with providing new cultural destinations as a way of regenerating towns and cities. Look at Walsall, they did something similar (albeit with an existing collection of artwork to use) and it has been a success.

I think the public has struggled because they're not offering a traditional form of art, and as well as all the technical problems associated with setting it up the building itself is so controversial and such an exclusive form of architecture that it does nothing to endear itself to the people it should be trying to reach out to.

>the building itself is so controversial and such an exclusive form of architecture that it does nothing to endear itself to the people

Which, if true, shows that the design of a building, related to its environment, is vitally important.

For example, from all the pictures I have seen of the new Birmingham library it looks TOTALLY wrong for where it is being built.

I disagree, it is the building itself that causes problems, not so much its relationship with the surrounding area. If the Pompidou centre had been built here, it would still be an icon, where it is in Paris is certainly as much as a juxtaposition as the Public has with West Bromwich. This building however is not an icon because it is not a remotely accessible piece of architecture to most normal people, people visiting the pompidou centre will be able to figure out that the building is functional, they may not like the way it looks or its relationship with the surroundings, but they will understand why the building looks the way it does. The Public does not make even the slightest attempt to be understood, it goes out of its way to look odd for no reason, the way it looks was chosen on the basis of Alsop's own aesthetic preferences.

I think the Library of Birmingham looks the way it does to both highlight the history of Birmingham as well as maximising the available floorspace for future expansion. And I don't see how any building on that sight could relate to the surroundings, the surroundings of Centenary Square are too varied and inconsistent. What it needs a dominating building which can overlook the square and other buildings and provide a focal point and anchor for the square to cling on to for vibrancy and life.

God that was the most pretentious bullshit I've spouted in a while. But the points still stand!

By this 'type of project' I assume you mean regeneration strategies focused around cultural infrastructure, the Bilbao way of doing things... Whilst it has potentially failed spectacularly here, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with providing new cultural destinations as a way of regenerating towns and cities. Look at Walsall, they did something similar (albeit with an existing collection of artwork to use) and it has been a success.

I think the public has struggled because they're not offering a traditional form of art, and as well as all the technical problems associated with setting it up the building itself is so controversial and such an exclusive form of architecture that it does nothing to endear itself to the people it should be trying to reach out to.

The Public has struggled because, when asked, the people of West Bromwich asked for a swimming baths, or a multiplex cinema. This is what they got instead.

"The people it should be reaching out to" as you put it, I'm affraid, don't live in The West Midlands - Even if this was built in Brimingham, exactly as it is, I don't think it would have been a success.

It's been built to satisfy the ego of a few elitist snotty individuals with access to far too much public money who built what they wanted instead of building something which the people of West Brom would actually use.

Oh. and...

National Centre for Popular Music (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Centre_for_Popular_Music) - Sheffield - Opened in 1999, closed 2000

Earth Centre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Centre,_Doncaster) - Doncaster - Closed 2004

If you read the WIki articles, you'll see that both projects suffered from over optimistic visitor projections, delays, cost over-runs and technical\design difficulties.... Sound familiar?

Trying to provide cultural nodes for people in deprived areas is a good idea, regardless of whether they want it or not, the idea is to get people involved and interested in these things so that they explore their creativity, and small towns like West Bromwich can forge themselves a creative niche in a highly competitive world. A multiplex would not have provided those sort of opportunities.

People will visit the Public, and they might even enjoy it, simply starting from the position of "what do people want?" won't neccessarily deliver them with the maximum utility. The Public could have and maybe still will give west Bromwich a hub of theatre and art through which it can expand its horizons.

A swimming baths could have helped towards a healthy living policy in Sandwell and if it was a decent size could have spurred the creation of a swimming team and the beginnings of a sporting legacy. It's a shame West Bromwich doesn't have a swimming pool, but all in all I'd say the benefits provided by a swimming pool and an arts centre are much the same in the longer term.

Trying to provide cultural nodes for people in deprived areas is a good idea, regardless of whether they want it or not, the idea is to get people involved and interested in these things so that they explore their creativity, and small towns like West Bromwich can forge themselves a creative niche in a highly competitive world. A multiplex would not have provided those sort of opportunities.

People will visit the Public, and they might even enjoy it, simply starting from the position of "what do people want?" won't neccessarily deliver them with the maximum utility. The Public could have and maybe still will give west Bromwich a hub of theatre and art through which it can expand its horizons.

A swimming baths could have helped towards a healthy living policy in Sandwell and if it was a decent size could have spurred the creation of a swimming team and the beginnings of a sporting legacy. It's a shame West Bromwich doesn't have a swimming pool, but all in all I'd say the benefits provided by a swimming pool and an arts centre are much the same in the longer term.

Totally disagree.

The Public will fail, just as the music centre in Sheffield, and the Earth Centre in Doncaster. A Swimming pool would have been better value, becasue people would have used it, again and again and again. People who live in a town with one of the worst health records in the UK.

People will visit the Public initially out of curiosity, then they won't bother. Where then is it going to get the visitors from? Will people from outside the region choose to go here instead of Birmingham, or The Black Country Living Museum in sufficient numbers? Is there enough in it to spend a day there? If not, what else are these people supposed to do on their visit?

>People will visit the Public,

I live in Solihull, not far from the Birmingham City centre, so not far from West Brom and "the Public".

Even though I have followed the story of the public with alarm and interest, I have never worked up the justification to go all the way to West Brom to see it (just worked out on the route planner it is only 12.5 miles from my house).

If it was in the centre of Birmingham I almost certainly would have been to see it by now (if only to see what the fuss was about).

I would say that 99% of the people in Solihull havent even heard of it, let alone thought about visiting it.

If people from Solihull wont even go to it (let alone people outside the West Midlands), how is it ever going to have a financial future.

I know of a few charities that would love to have £10,000, it would make such a difference to them. When I think this piece of crap has been given about 70 million it makes we want to cry. What a waste of money.

This country just seems to fail at deliverying cultural facilities of an impressive size for communities. Millennium Dome was vastly unimpressive, this has just been fraught with problems, Millennium Point didn't match the vision. It goes on. Walsall Art Gallery is quite the success story though.

And another example, which I hate to use, is France. They employed a policy where communities had to have a cultural centre and major architects were commissioned through high profile design competitions. They provided worthy facilities, reflective of the area they were in, and the budgets were quite generous at that. This seems to be very similar to what France had done but they just chose the wrong design, and the wrong place in some respects.

And i-l-c, that post was pretty much perfect. I completely agree with you, even if you thought it was pretentious. :)

Totally disagree.

The Public will fail, just as the music centre in Sheffield, and the Earth Centre in Doncaster. A Swimming pool would have been better value, becasue people would have used it, again and again and again. People who live in a town with one of the worst health records in the UK.

People will visit the Public initially out of curiosity, then they won't bother. Where then is it going to get the visitors from? Will people from outside the region choose to go here instead of Birmingham, or The Black Country Living Museum in sufficient numbers? Is there enough in it to spend a day there? If not, what else are these people supposed to do on their visit?

whats wrong with a wider idea of a region of "hubs" where in a day, you don't spend all your time in one area, and you visit surrounding areas and spread spending thoughout?

Just an idea, i think, as soon as you charge for something like this it wil begin to fail. Also, the surrounding infrastructure is not great to support any really inward visitation similar to the science museum in brum. If the surrounding area is improved, and coud support such a project then it might work.

Also these buildings need to be daring and safe at the same time. If you take selfridges as an example, its exactly that, there is still something safe about it in its relation to shopping.

A friend of mine went there in the last few weeks to talk about making use of the theatre space and she reported that the lack of knowledge from the employees that they talked to - plus the incredibly poor design of the theatre and facilities there - beggared belief.
Bring him to me my friend.

Give up!

Seriously, after working 4 years in West Bromwich during its construction people really just want a leisure centre/swimming pool.
They had one built around ten years ago. Hardly anybody used it, suffered the same fate as the Public at the time, people of West Brom complained they didn't need it. It is now closed.

I told those in the local press to go back and look at the past at what they wrote on the leisure centre, they were using the same argument as today — that people want a fitness centre not the Public in today's world. They stopped with that argument.

The Public I feel is mostly the Express and Stars fault for why it's failing. They are still shit stirring, even now it is in good, competent hands. :ohno:

Will Alsop back in West Brom .


Architect returning to The Public
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The architect behind troubled Black Country arts centre The Public will be returning to the building he has described as his best work next Friday.

Will Alsop will be in West Bromwich for the first time since the building has been fully open to give a talk and lecture at the New Street venue.

The controversial £72 million project, which is running £49m over budget, has been the subject of an audit report which revealed it should be mothballed, decommissioned or even demolished. The project has been surrounded by controversy after costs spiralled and it failed to open on time.

Sandwell Council has taken over the project after the Arts Council walked away earlier this year, handing the authority a final £3m of funding. And earlier this week the centre was advertising for five high-profile managers with salaries of up to £49,000 despite the damning report that revealed its future is in doubt.

The talk on November 27 aims to give audiences an insight into the origins of some of its projects and artworks. Stirling prize winner Alsop, who has been awarded the OBE and elected to the Royal Academy, is known for his colourful and eye-catching buildings.

Earlier this year he told the Express & Star the pink and black building was fundamentally a good project and “fills a real need in West Bromwich and the region”.

The Public’s general manager Linda Saunders, said: “He is a very colourful and entertaining speaker. This will be the first time he has been able to see the building fully open to the public and we are very much looking forward to showing him round.” His other projects include the Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, Hamburg Ferry Terminal, North Greenwich Tube Station, Peckham Library, Sharp Centre for Design in Ontario, The Toronto Sales Centre in Canada and The Stratford Docklands Light Railway Station.

Last month it was revealed council bosses are holding monthly reviews of The Public’s £1.1m-a-year budget.

A report by auditors KPMG has warned that the budget, equivalent to more than £3,000 a day, will not be enough to make it break even, and closure or even demolition should be considered.

Alsop’s talk is free, but places are limited and must be booked in advance. It runs from 4.45pm until 6pm and will take place in the Longroom on level three of The Public, which is located in New Street, West Bromwich. To book a place or to find out more call the box office on 0121 5337161.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2009/11/19/architect-returning-to-the-public/

We get used to seeing sloppy/idle journalism on these boards .When I saw the following heading I knew they would trundle out 'controversial'.I didn't have to wait long !

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010/10/19/the-public-to-get-more-council-cash/

Surely this project must have won some award or other for the "largest waste of money of all time".

It staggers me that when some projects are crying out for just a few thousand pounds this is given £50 millions pound (as a starter).

If this had been in central Birmingham this could have been a success, but being stuck in West Bromwich it was doomed from the start.

What a tragic waste of money.

Surely this project must have won some award or other for the "largest waste of money of all time".

It staggers me that when some projects are crying out for just a few thousand pounds this is given £50 millions pound (as a starter).

If this had been in central Birmingham this could have been a success, but being stuck in West Bromwich it was doomed from the start.

What a tragic waste of money.

Not even close to the Millenium Dome. That is a literal 'White Elephant'

Not even close to the Millenium Dome. That is a literal 'White Elephant'

for its original intention, yes - but now it is the world best venue for musical performances - at least that's according to all the artists that have played there.

for its original intention, yes - but now it is the world best venue for musical performances - at least that's according to all the artists that have played there.

£789million pounds worth of Music venue.

Being stuck in the middle of West Bromwich doesn't make it stuck out on a limb! It's actually quite central to all of of us being equi-distant from Brum and Wolverhampton. The venue just needs to think carefully about its exhibitions - remember it took MP a long time to break even on visitor numbers. I'm going to have a look at what's on at The pUBLIC in November.

I've been to see a couple of exhibitions at the public the most recent being the Bill Viola installation. I'm a fan but the problem as I see it is that much of the 'exhibits' are electronic and once experienced they don't offer much second or third time round. Maybe more conventional passive 'art' rather than the theme park stuff is a better option.

This is the second stage of the whole regeneration of the town centre. The first being the bus station with the latest being Sandwell College and the nascent Tesco development.

I disagree that it's a tragic waste of money. Admittedly, it was poorly budgeted to begin with and the current financial crisis hasn't helped but this is a unique, high-quality, legacy building which will evolve over time it will take an increasingly prominent position physically, socially and culturally in West Bromwich.

Maybe the waste is what they filled it with makiing the building under-used. I would have thought a proper community art-space would cater for performance art (music, theatre, dance), film and passive art as you say. Nice cafe and some contemplation space would be a good starting point.

I went to The Public (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/sets/72157626294085143/) last Friday (1st April 2011).

Went inside and took pics. Don't really understand about how you interact with the exhibits. But glad I went. I liked it. Very very pink.

Here are some pics (for the rest check my set linked above)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5585483452_47cbc46c60_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585483452/)
The Public, West Bromwich (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585483452/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

When I got here, was wondering why Darth Maul and K9 were here (I soon found out why)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5254/5585585332_cbdf2133f6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585585332/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Darth Maul (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585585332/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5586274366_27d69a4e0c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586274366/)
The Public, West Bromwich - up the ramp walkways - gift shop (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586274366/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5141/5586304876_126f6afa5f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586304876/)
The Public, West Bromwich - up the ramp walkways - Content Pools (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586304876/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5585883723_9874136be2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585883723/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Flypad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585883723/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

This was odd. I pressed a button then had to pose in front of a camera for 6 slides. Like a flick book. Took this before that. Was confused as didn't know what I was meant to do.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5585955065_265efa7603_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585955065/)
The Public, West Bromwich - flick book (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585955065/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

A sci-fi exhibit will be on from 6th of April until the 26th of June 2011 called Out of this Universe. Featuring characters from Doctor Who and Star Wars etc

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5585593024_7259478903_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585593024/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Out of This Universe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585593024/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

Wall-E

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5060/5585606120_1a15c94661_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585606120/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Wall-E (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585606120/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5585577173_4fd04f597d_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585577173/)
The Public, West Bromwich - ground floor - corridor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585577173/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5585739582_74b4a1179e_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585739582/)
The Public, West Bromwich (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585739582/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

A few more pics

"Love Art"

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5585477566_a37024f1e6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585477566/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Love Art (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585477566/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

So much pink!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5065/5586271666_496480b66f_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586271666/)
The Public, West Bromwich - up the ramp walkways - pink neon lights (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586271666/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

K9

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5067/5585587130_07134d6cec_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585587130/)
The Public, West Bromwich - K9 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585587130/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

West Bromwich has memorials for an actress called Madeleine Carroll. Here's one outside The Public.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5585470506_417c62461a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585470506/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Madeleine Carroll (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585470506/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5585928817_0cc95691f7_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585928817/)
The Public, West Bromwich - projected lights display (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585928817/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5585592915_1ef15e1838_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585592915/)
The Public, West Bromwich - ground floor - ropes sculpture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585592915/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5585579637_fa3c20ec60_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585579637/)
The Public, West Bromwich - ground floor - black and white stripes in a cylinder (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585579637/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

It's Free to enter

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5051/5585735946_4099749674_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585735946/)
The Public, West Bromwich - Welcome to The Public Entrance Free (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5585735946/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

Panoramic I just made of The Public

As it was output

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5300/5589578435_7c430a5e03_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5589578435/)
The Public, West Bromwich - panoramic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5589578435/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

The cropped version

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5590170568_c097f0e169_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5590170568/)
The Public, West Bromwich - panoramic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5590170568/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

Superb! Cheers Ell.

Was there anyone else in it besides yourself ellbrown?

Superb! Cheers Ell.

Thanks. I'm glad I finally got around to checking it out.

Was there anyone else in it besides yourself ellbrown?

The ramps were empty!

Only saw this guy.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5230/5586269626_f74396525b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586269626/)
The Public, West Bromwich - up the ramp walkways (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586269626/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

Was some staff at the top. Rest were at the bottom.

The lady on the left showed me about this thing on the right

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5190/5586545822_714977e4e2_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586545822/)
The Public, West Bromwich - flick book (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/5586545822/) by ell brown (http://www.flickr.com/people/ell-r-brown/), on Flickr

It seems like a lot of people from Sandwell hate or don't like The Public. They think it is a waste of money. Personally I like it (although I'm from Birmingham and not Sandwell).

This article from March 2011 is kind of like what I've found (few days before I visted it was published)


The Public branded a waste of money (http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/03/28/the-public-branded-a-waste-of-money/)

http://www.expressandstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/public.jpg

The Public centre was today labelled as “perhaps the worst example of a gross waste of public money” in a damning report by MPs on the Arts Council.

The report into how the arts are funded heavily criticised the quango for its role in the West Bromwich arts centre, which has cost £72million and ran £49m over budget.

The Arts Council has spent more than £32m of taxpayers’ money on the project.

MPs on the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee accused the Arts Council of a “failure of leadership” on The Public — one of the strongest terms of criticism that can be levelled against a public body.

They accuse the Arts Council of huge levels of “waste” during the years before the recession. But today the Arts Council said The Public was “old news” and not representative of the quango’s investments.

West Bromwich East Labour MP Tom Watson, who sits on the commons committee, said: “The Arts Council is displaying outrageous complacency and breathtaking arrogance.

“It is unacceptable to describe their role in the mismanagement of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money as “old news” when they have not held a single inquiry of their own.

“They should do so immediately and it should start with the word ‘sorry’.”

Sandwell Council today pledged it would “never again” allow itself to be put in a position where it would have to act as guarantor on such a project. In the report, the MPs said: “We note that the case of The Public gallery in West Bromwich is perhaps the worst example of a gross waste of public money by the Arts Council.

“The inability of the current chief executive to provide answers to our questions or demonstrate any serious attempts to learn lessons from the failure of the project does not inspire confidence in the Arts Council or its leadership.”


Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/03/28/the-public-branded-a-waste-of-money/#ixzz1XCtsO273

The local press havn't helped ; they can hardly mention its name without adding "controversial".

Ellbrown,I've just noticed the angular roof in your Public pano .I hadn't seen that aspect before .It looks quite good .

Thanks Nacho.

From what I saw inside, it was pretty empty. And they had all those weird art installations. Wasn't sure how you operate some of them.

It had all those sticking out bits from the back.

I wonder if these people who are complaining have ever actually visited to see for themselves what it is like?

The Public in West Bromwich secures lottery funding (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-15098750)


A controversial Midlands arts centre has secured a £100,000 lottery grant from Arts Council England.

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The gallery has had more than 330,000 visitors since it opened in August 2009

The Public, in West Bromwich, said the money would be used to support its digital and interactive arts programme.

It said local and regional artists would be featured, alongside more established names.

The gallery, which has had more than 330,000 visitors in the past two years, was heavily criticised for opening two years late and £15m over budget.

The centre, which costs about £1.2m a year to run, has recently been forced to cut jobs.

Managing director Linda Saunders said the funding would be used to deliver exhibitions "designed to appeal to The Public's growing local and family audience".

She added that the gallery was looking forward to using "the arts to contribute to the exciting regeneration plans already in place for West Bromwich".

Grants for the Arts awards are funded by the National Lottery and managed by the Arts Council.

Alsop at The Public :

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/newsaggregator//tm_headline=founder-of-the-public-returns-as-art-of-architecture-exhibition-begins%26method=full%26objectid=30149179%26siteid=65233-name_page.html