This week marked the official launch of a series of new site-specific public artworks on Digbeth High Street, delivered as part of the wider High Street Public Realm Improvement Scheme.
Artists Helen Cammock, Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan, Amy Ching-Yan Lam and Sarah Silverwood created four new artworks that uniquely reflect Digbeth’s rich and diverse history, its communities, and natural environment.
The project was commissioned by Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority, curated by Eastside Projects, and funded through the Enterprise Zone (EZ) capital grant.
The four resulting artworks form part of the Digbeth High Street Public Realm Improvement Scheme which supports and safeguards existing creative, cultural and heritage assets while enabling future regeneration.
Helen Cammock’s ‘Something in Nothing’ (2025) features three contemporary-looking green and orange signage made of glass enamel, with the visual referencing both the modern-day regeneration of Digbeth in style and late 19th century railways signs.
Joanne Tatham & Tom O’Sullivan’s ‘The Digbeth Cylinder’ (2026) uses ceramic and concrete to make a life-sized cylinder that playfully reference Digbeth’s architectural and civic heritage. The work is accompanied by posters as well as workshops with South and City College Birmingham and Chandos Primary School.
Sarah Silverwood’s ‘Undercurrents’ (2025) is a colourful mosaic of patterns featuring creatures and features of the River Rea which runs directly underneath and was created with young people from St Basil’s Youth Hub in Digbeth.
Whilst Amy Ching-Yan Lam’s ‘Looty’s Meadow’ (2025) creates a meadow of opium and oriental poppies as a memorial for Looty, one of the first Pekingese dogs to arrive in England who was dognapped as a present for Queen Victoria.
The works also compliments the area’s cultural strategy, Four Actions for Digbeth, which focuses on strengthening identity, supporting creativity, and enhancing public experience.
Cllr Deborah Harries, Cabinet Member for Culture and Heritage, said:
“These exciting new artworks celebrate Digbeth’s unique character while reflecting the stories, people, and histories that make the area so special. Public art plays a vital role in shaping vibrant, inclusive places, and this project demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in culture as a key part of Birmingham’s future. It is fantastic to hear about how artists, young people, and local communities are coming together to create work that will inspire residents and visitors alike.”
Gavin Wade, Artist-Curator at Eastside Projects said: “Eastside Projects is honoured to be part of the ongoing artist led experimentation here in Digbeth. We hope the artists we have been able to bring together for these public artworks reflect the vibrancy and vital role of a place that combines the best of local creative talent, national award winning thinkers and makers alongside international perspectives and insights into the realities and perceptions of our own complex city.”
