Art Walks: Birmingham

Clockwise (L-R): Aqueduct, Battle of the Gods and Giants, ICC mall

Step 8 - Brindleyplace

Cross the spacious Centenary Square and head towards the futuristic ICC, or International Convention Centre. Walk through the ICC's spectacular central mall and you will come out at the Brindleyplace centre, next to one of Birmingham's many canals.

Here you'll find Roderick Tye's intriguing sculpture, Battle Of The Gods And Giants (1990). Intended to represent a broken cloud, symbolising the struggle between the mundane and divine, the swirling forms look like something out of a Dali painting. In 2002, seven years before his death in 2009, Tye gave up art to become a professional fly fisherman.

Now cross the canal and keep walking until you reach Central Square. There in the corner of the square you'll see Aqueduct by Miles Davies (1995). From afar, the angle of this cunning two-part sculpture fools the eye and the two halves seem to slant off into the distance. This is exactly the kind of trickery with perspective and perception that Dali excelled at. Close up, though, they're level. Made of bronze and phosphor, this was the winning entry in a competition run by the Royal Society of British Sculptors.

To end the walk, turn down Oozells Street on the other side of the square and head for the Ikon Gallery. This is a great place to see all sorts of contemporary art, including soundworks, sculpture, paintings and photography. It was set up to encourage the public to engage with contemporary art, and although you may not like it all, it'll certainly provide a crash course in contemporary art.

If you've enjoyed this walk then try one of our Art Walks around the UK. There is a world of Modern Art still to discover...