Accession Code: wu0324 Title: Gas Street Basin (Birmingham Canal Series) Date completed: 1989 Medium: Prints Material: Woodblock Height (mm): 1107 Width (mm): 800 Depth (mm): n/a Inscription: Numbered 7/50. Inscribed with title lower left and signed Location Name: NAIC Location Description: Boardroom Location Floor: 3

This set of prints was commissioned in 1989 to commemorate Birmingham's centenary. For inspiration, Tessa Beaver turned to material she had gathered on extensive walks of the city's canals. She recognised that these waterways and the surrounding buildings, not only had a long and significant history in Birmingham's industrial evolution but were destined soon to change radically.

In her interpretation, she has reduced these urban landscapes to simple shapes and lines. Each print has a strong linear structure giving the image solidity and weight.