Emergancy Vehicles (part2)

Rob Turner 

Police Range Rover by Lexi Macrath 

This follows on from the very first post on this blog when we set things up on the 23rd March, which is 33 blog posts back, it is a long way back there now. People have contributed such a lot about their projects and very varied they are, so I felt it time to share a little of what I have been up to.



Air Ambulance by Annalyse and Una

I had been working once a week with residents in Newington for several weeks before the lockdown, creating the ‘Emergency Vehicles’. The residents wanted to reflect the complex relationship their community (like communities up and down the country)  has with the emergency services, often when they are called it is because of dramatic and difficult personal or community events - amplified by sirens. When the air ambulance landed on the green next to the community centre Kevin the gardener/maintenance guy said he didn’t need the leaf blower that day! The last day I was there the police rolled up gently and quietly in a massive Land Rover and deliberately parked right in front of the community centre by the green open space and just waited there for about 45 minutes. This was to prevent largely parents parking their cars on the communal green while they waited for their children to come out of school. The green had become an unofficial car park every afternoon and the grass was turning into mud. So, the whole emergency vehicle thing resonated and they worked hard making police cars, fire engines, helicopters and ambulances. Traffic cones and hazard tape are prevalent as well. 

Fire Engine by Jessie and her Mum

Fire Service Land Rover by Harrison

So now it’s my turn completing these mosaics alone in my workshop during this unusual period of our lives, what will be my contribution to the project?  My role might be described as to only fill in the spaces between each vehicle and do the backgrounds.  Every time I turn on my computer, I see Hi Viz black and yellow hazard warnings, every time I turn the television on I see ambulances blue lights and Haz Mat suits. Imagery which has filtered into my work subconsciously and consciously. This has turned into a work about our ‘Emergency services’ and I have had to include the text – Stay Home – Save Lives – Protect The NHS , how could I not.