Series of steel sculptures to be given a home inside city centre roundabout underpass

The new monumental steel sculptures will be set up in the Chapel Ash underpass in Wolverhampton and unveiled with performances from local musicians, poets and dancers on Sunday, May 19, as part of the ROUNDABOUT project.

Funded by Arts Council England, Wolverhampton Council and Art Gallery, and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity fund, the ROUNDABOUT project is developing and installing multiple art interventions in the Chapel Ash island underpass of Wolverhampton including light, sound, sculpture, murals, AR, and a community garden.

The aim is to provide a publicly accessible and free events space for the community to use and bring art into the public realm.

As part of this transformative project, internationally acclaimed sculptor Luke Perry will unveil four monumental steel sculptures, created in collaboration with the local community.

Hosted by the Asylum Art Gallery ltd, the unveiling event promises to mark an exciting milestone for the project featuring performances by local musicians, poets and dancers of Wolverhampton.

Among the confirmed performers is Bhangra dancer Sohan Kailey, who performed at the London 2012 Olympics and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

He will perform traditional Bhangra Lawk Naach and say a few words paying homage the significance of the dance in Wolverhampton during the 1980s and 1990s.

A spokeswoman for Asylum Art Gallery said: "Highlighting the local significance of each sculpture, performers will pay tribute to the themes within each one.

"Notably, the sculpture ‘Recovery’, by Luke Perry and co-designed by hyper-local artist Matt Lloyd, explores themes of addiction and recovery.

"Performances by volunteers and clients of local organisation Suit Services will reflect the complexities of addiction and dynamism of recovery introduced through the words within the sculpture itself.

"Throughout his residency for the ROUNDABOUT project, Luke Perry collaborated closely with Wolverhampton’s diverse communities so that his work in the Chapel Ash island underpass can reflect the mix of important issues and cultural ecology of the area.

"Each sculpture pays homage to a different community group and allows pedestrians to encounter important parts of the Wolverhampton’s history they might otherwise not; from ‘The Black Arts Movement’ to ‘Minority Workers Rights’."

To find out more about the event on May 19 and to reserve tickets, go to theasylumartgallery.com/event-details/monuments