An area of Oxfordshire is adorned by crows and sofas, but what is the significance of them?

When Pioneer Square was opened in Bicester in 2013, people may have noticed a gathering of crows alighting on stainless steel arches around the development.

Additionally, a couple of Chesterfield sofas – made from bricks - were put in place.

These street art instalments are the work of Bristol-based artist Rodney Harris and the team of Phil Bews and Diane Gorvin.

Mr Harris is best known for his brick sculpture works, and the commission in Bicester was one of his largest to date.

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The 75-metre carved and painted ‘wallpaper’ wall and two hand carved brick sofas took a year to create.

Mr Bews and Ms Gorvin have collaborated in the creation of over a hundred public art instalments.

They built four crows out of bronze or glass and placed them at viewpoints around the then new square, each representing an association with Bicester.

One of the crows is carrying a gilded N in its mouth, detaching it from the word ‘crown’ to form its namesake.

Another crow taking off from its perch displays circular RAF insignia on each wing, signifying the town’s association with the air force.

And two crows are kissing underneath a lace pattern to symbolise Bicester’s association with lace making.

The street art was funded by Sainsburys to create visual interest around Pioneer Square as a new community asset for the future.

 

Read more from this author

This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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