Alma Street Jon Mills Alma Street, Brynmawr Alma Street is traditionally the access route to the town centre from Abergavenny and the Clydach Gorge. It is a long, wide road with mature trees and large, mostly Victorian houses flanked by grass verges, which separate the traffic on the main road from a lower level access route to the houses. Historically Alma Street formed the course of an industrial tramway from the Clydach Gorge, which was demolished early in the last century. Within the Urban Regeneration Scheme it is recommended that an art centred project should respond to its linear nature. Jon Mills, Brighton based artist, works with steel in a variety of guises from architectural, furniture, sculptural and mechanical automata. His designs for Alma Street are inspired by the formation of the bold trees that line the street. Jon’s designs have been created out of the desire to utilise and emphasise these trees. ”Birds in a Tree” is made up of jewellery like pieces, forged out of steel and clamped onto the branches and other structures through expanding brackets, with each piece tailored to that particular tree or location. A bus shelter is a starting point for the work. This is an intimate building which looks like an aviary where the birds are released on their journey