Location
At various points along the Arundel Street precinct.
The artist Pete Codling was selected for the Arundel Street project as part of the Arts Council's 'Art at The Centre' awards, to encourage local authorities to involve artists in the planning and design of their cities. He has worked with Portsmouth City Council and local schools and community groups since May 2001 to develop and detail the design for the Arundel Street.
The design starts at the centre of the junction between Commercial Road and Arundel Street. Concentric circles radiate from the fountain outwards to help define the importance of this 300 year old city centre where the old 'Halfway Houses' and the Arundel Canal Basin once stood. The Halfway Houses were so-called because they were half way between the old walled city of Portsmouth and the satellite communities of Southsea, Portsea and Landport.
Viewed from above, the design can be thought of as similar to a stone dropped into a fountain or a pen dipped into ink. The ripple effect that is created is the main inspiration for the paving patterns.
Incorporated into the street scene are numerous references to writers, past and present, plus six sculptures (some examples are on the left) inspired by the written work of Charles Dickens, Sir Walter Besant, George Meredith, WL Wylllie, Marc Brunel and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
There are more examples of Pete Codling's work at his website www.petecodling.co.uk
