Hockley Flyover Art

A pic-heavy post again, since it is about art, although this time the official installation rather than the graffiti which also flourishes in the area. The Hound's official position is that the graff round there may be the best in the city. The installation I feature here is described by Owen Hatherley as the best art in Birmingham, and while I would reserve that accolade for the Magritte in the Barber Institute, this work is certainly right up there.
Question: How do you annoy someone who lives in the Jewellery Quarter? Answer: Refer to it as Hockley. Reaction guaranteed. Of the two, I prefer Hockley, and was reminded of that fact as I wandered over this morning. There is a distinct line at Key Hill where you leave the gentrification behind and the real Birmingham spirit comes out again. I really went to look at Icknield Street School (which really deserves a post of its own) but took this in at the same time. The installation is a concrete climbing wall by William Mitchell. The work doesn't get much attention because you have to go to Hockley, have to go through underpasses, and have to be on foot. I have commented here before that the post-war planning of Birmingham was not as bad for pedestrians as it is made out and look, the spaces were beautified. Actually the residents of Hockley are a creative bunch, and the space under the underpass has even been the venue for a festival. Anyway, on with the photos. If they don't have a credit, they're my own.

http://www.william-mitchell.com/surprises.htm

Sorry lost the source for this one.