Brushed metal plaque № 88709

This brushed metal commemorative plaque records: Listening Dragon A sculpture inspired by children at Rowanfield Junior School and local people at workshops in the Hesters Way library and at Easter Eggstravaganza. It shows a just visible dragon that listens. It holds in place two concrete sound mirrors. Can you make out its spiny backbone and one eye? Sound mirrors can focus sounds that come from a long way away making the volume unusually loud at one point. See if you can find a spot where this happens. You will need two people, one to speak and the other to listen. It is best if you do this one meter from the ground. Sound mirrors were one of GCHO's first projects which were used to track enemy airships off the east coast of Britain during the First World War (1914-18) They were known as "Listening Ears" and were a forerunner of radar using sound waves rather than radio waves to locate an attack Funded by Markey Developers LLP/Gloucester College Col Devon Avenue Section 106development public art condition, The Summerfield Trust, Cheltenham Borough Council Community Pride Fund and Hesters Way Partnership. Comissioned by Cheltenham Borough Council Public Art Panel Artist Rob Olins FRSS 2019 Recorded plaque organisation: Cheltenham Borough Council.

The plaque commemorates a sculpture named "Listening Dragon," created in collaboration with local children and residents, which incorporates sound mirrors, historical acoustic devices used for early warning systems during World War I. The artwork serves as both a public art piece and an educational tool about the technological advancements of the early 20th century.