Peaky Blinder Collage

Postage Stamp Collage
In this collage composed of approximately 3000 used postage stamps, I've captured a brooding intensity, a contemplation steeped in the gritty atmosphere that straddles both determination and vulnerability. Tommy Shelby was a dangerous man who led a gang known as the ‘Peaky Blinders’ because members sewed razor blades into the peaks of their caps. The gang was based in Birmingham, England during the period following the Great War. The background colours dramatically show the city with smoke spewing from chimneys and blazing furnaces depicting the industry of the city in that period. The darker, cooler tones contrast with the brighter colours giving birth to the notion of the stigma and poverty existing between the different social classes of the time. The piece is homage to resilience against backdrop of a tumultuous era. It's designed to infuse your home with a wave of powerful emotion and a whisper of nostalgia.