If you’re a metal fan and you’ve been to Birmingham in recent years, it’s likely you’ve visited Black Sabbath’s heavy metal bench, that sits above the canal off Broad Street.
An image of the bench has now been engraved on a mirror by artist Paul Riding. The stunning mirror features embedded lighting and is part of the City of Life exhibition that was launched earlier this week in the Velvet Music Rooms in Birmingham.
The display was put together by Birmingham Art Zone, a group of local artists, and captures images of the Westside area in Birmingham.
Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID (Westside Business Improvement District), helped to arrange the exhibition after seeing a new painting by artist and founder of Birmingham Art Zone Paula Gabb, that looks down on the canal over the Black Sabbath bench on Broad Street.
Speaking at the exhibition launch on Tuesday July 5, Paula said: “This is so exciting, as being able to show our art off in such a wonderful venue as this will enable us to reach out to people I wouldn’t have dreamt about.
"There are some great pieces of work for everyone to enjoy, and we're particularly proud of the stunning engraved mirror that Paul has worked so hard on, as we know how important Black Sabbath’s heavy metal bench is to music fans worldwide.”
Dani Hadley, co-owner of Velvet Music Rooms, said: "This is an absolute first for us, and the enthusiasm and creativity that's been injected into our venue is contagious and great to be around."
The City Of Life exhibition will run at Velvet Music Rooms until September, and all the artwork is available to buy.
As well as Paul Riding and Paula Gabb, other artists whose work is displayed in the exhibition include Rachel Akers, Kirk Andrews, Amy Carroll, Chris Fothergill Sonal Gajbe, Tim Griffiths, Chris Hammond, Dan Lopez, Angela Ortenzi-MacColl, Helen Owen, Helen Roberts, Natt Wallbank and Emma Woolley.
