Ceramic mural of nine panels on Cromwell Highwalk, Barbican

The ceramic mural is located within a covered section of Cromwell Highwalk, situated between the Barbican Centre and Speed House. It is mounted on the north wall of the walkway and set within a dark metal frame, illuminated by down-lighters positioned behind a dark metal pelmet.

The mural consists of nine panels, each constructed from forty tiles approximately 30cm by 46cm in size, arranged in a ten-by-four grid. The subjects are semi-abstract, with some panels depicting technological equipment such as television and radio aerials, a cable, a telegraph pole, and a pair of buoys. Other panels offer more impressionistic interpretations of communication technology; for example, the seventh panel draws inspiration from patterns produced in cathode ray oscillographs. The colour palette is muted but rich and textured, comprising whites, greens, blues, yellows, browns, and greys. The artist’s brushwork is visible, creating a painterly effect. Patterns are created through a combination of applied colour and surface incisions or texturing, with representations of objects like aerials, generators and pylon cables highlighted in dense black. The colours and style evoke the paintings of Ben Nicholson, who was a member of the AIA with Annan.

The nine panels were given the following titles by Annan, progressing from west to east: 'Radio Communications and Television', 'Cables and Communications in Buildings', 'Test Frame for Linking Circuits', 'Cable Chamber with Cables entering from the Street', 'Cross Connection Frame', 'Power and Generators', 'Impressions Derived from the Patterns Produced in Cathode Ray Oscillographs used in Testing', 'Lines over the Countryside' and 'Overseas Communication showing Cable Buoys'. An information panel detailing the mural’s history is positioned at its western end. Certain features – namely the dark metal frame, pelmet and information panel – are not considered to contribute to the group value of the mural.