The hidden secrets of artwork in plain sight were revealed in this hour’s guided walk through central Norwich.
The trail revived Rachel and Krzysztof Fijalkowski’s original tour for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival in 1999, an event that proved somewhat controversial for its Freudian interpretation of the monument to Edith Cavell in the city’s Tombland.
For what it’s worth that particular analysis is not one I found especially convincing, but the couple did have perceptive comments to make about a number of other Norwich landmarks that are constantly visible but seldom noticed.
The itinerary included Tadeusz Zieliński’s sadly neglected mural on the former Abbey National building in London Street, and a rooftop sculpture of Norwich author Amelia Opie that now keeps guard over an ice cream shop on the street bearing her name.
Civic art included the sculptures at the bottom of the two flagpoles in the Memorial Gardens outside City Hall, featuring scenes of life and bounty seemingly at odds with the commemoration of death at the centre of this public square – and that I’ve walked past countless times without ever really noticing.
That act of giving focus was powerful in itself, and a welcome reward for the walk – helping us see the familiar with new eyes, and new appreciation.
- The Norfolk and Norwich Festival continues until May 28, 2023.
