Una White
Encyclopedia
Una White was an ordinary citizen of Birmingham
, England
. She achieved posthumous notability when her name was placed, in 12-foot high illuminated lettering, on Birmingham Central Library
for three weeks, as an art installation
by Joshua Sofaer part of the city's Fierce! festival. The sign was illuminated from 17 May-3 June 2007
Her name was suggested for use in the artwork, by her daughter Carol, after a public appeal for people to nominate a friend or family member who deserved to have their name in lights. Una was selected from a number of entries, by a panel which comprised advertising mogul Trevor Beattie
, broadcaster Mark Lawson
, celebrity agent Jonathan Shalit, fashion designer Jemima French, and This Morning
presenter Alison Hammond
.
Sofaer said the project was "aimed at encouraging people to think about the meaning of celebrity", and that:
Formerly a hairdresser
, White came to Britain
from Jamaica
in the 1960s and trained as a nurse before working at St Margaret's (Mental) Hospital in Walsall
.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She achieved posthumous notability when her name was placed, in 12-foot high illuminated lettering, on Birmingham Central Library
Birmingham Central Library
Birmingham Central Library is the main public library in Birmingham, England, and the largest non-national library in Europe. It is managed by Birmingham City Council...
for three weeks, as an art installation
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
by Joshua Sofaer part of the city's Fierce! festival. The sign was illuminated from 17 May-3 June 2007
Her name was suggested for use in the artwork, by her daughter Carol, after a public appeal for people to nominate a friend or family member who deserved to have their name in lights. Una was selected from a number of entries, by a panel which comprised advertising mogul Trevor Beattie
Trevor Beattie
Trevor Beattie , partner of Beattie McGuinness Bungay, formerly chairman of TBWA London, is an advertising executive responsible for a number of high profile and often controversial advertising campaigns — most notably the "fcuk" campaign for French Connection and the Wonderbra "Hello Boys"...
, broadcaster Mark Lawson
Mark Lawson
Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author.-Life and career:Born in Hendon, London, Lawson was raised in Yorkshire and is a Leeds United fan. He was educated at St Columba's College in St Albans and took a degree in English at University College London, where his lecturers...
, celebrity agent Jonathan Shalit, fashion designer Jemima French, and This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
presenter Alison Hammond
Alison Hammond
Alison Hammond is a British television presenter who became famous after appearing on the third series of Big Brother in 2002. The former child actress, holiday representative and cinema usherette was the second housemate to be evicted when she left on day 15...
.
Sofaer said the project was "aimed at encouraging people to think about the meaning of celebrity", and that:
I wanted people to think about who they want as their role models. There might be unknown ones which are better than Posh Spice.
Formerly a hairdresser
Hairdresser
Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
, White came to Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in the 1960s and trained as a nurse before working at St Margaret's (Mental) Hospital in Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
.