Templars Square in Oxford is one of those typical modern nondescript shopping centres you find dotted all across the country. Opened in 1965 it has long ago lost its modernist feel and now looks rather tired. The centre itself has very few redeeming features but does have this rather remarkable mural. It was designed by husband and wife team Henry and Joyce Collins in 1976 and cast in concrete by Hutton Builders and set with coloured mosaics. The mural is flanked on both sides by huge windows of a Wilkinson's store but it would originally have been commissioned by Sainsburys that used to occupy this spot. It is a complex work that incorporates a lot of references to the history of Oxford which makes it interesting historically. Artistically however, it is safe to say this is not everyone's cup of tea. In fact, many would argue it is downright ugly and public art like this is often dismissed as mere decoration hardly worthy of preservation.
The style is typically brutalist and since I have been espousing the virtues of brutalist art and design, I feel compelled to defend its merits here, although I must admit to personally struggle with this as well.
Probably what is best about this work is that it is public. This was one of the key desires of the brutalist movement; to make art more accessible to the public. Its placement right in the middle of a shopping mall testifies to that. This is great because it means everyone familiar with the shopping mall would have at least given it a cursory glance.
The work is undoubtedly of its age. While once this was the height of modernism it is now immediately recognisable as something from the 1970s. Particularly in a shopping mall where shops come and go and where the decor continues to be updated this provides a welcome nod to our recent past.
At closer inspection the work contains some really great design. The way the sheep are portrayed for example reminds me a bit of an antique wooden biscuit mold; stylised, but charming with just the right level of detail. The inclusion of a mosaic of the Princess car is another great bit of design as it is so iconic for that period.
The mural therefore has a rather odd function. On the one hand it is just there as decoration on the wall, and arguably not even particularly pretty decoration at that. You would walk past it numerous times barely noticing it. On the other hand it provides some stability in a changing environment. It is something that people have come to get used to as simply being there, but it also reminds us of our recent past and thereby creates some much-needed continuity.
All in all this unsung work of art, like so many dotted around the country, deserve another look and, dare I say it, some protection.
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