Una White (died April 1997)[1] was a Jamaican-British nurse who achieved posthumous notability when her name was placed, in 12 feet (3.7 m) high[1][2] illuminated lettering, on Birmingham Central Library (since demolished) for three weeks,[1] as an art installation by Joshua Sofaer[1] part of the city's Fierce! festival.[3] The sign was illuminated from 17 May to 3 June 2007.[2][3]
Her name was suggested for use in the artwork by her daughter Carol,[1] after a public appeal for people to nominate a friend or family member who deserved to have their name in lights.[2] Una was selected from a number of entries, by a panel comprising advertising mogul Trevor Beattie, broadcaster Mark Lawson, celebrity agent Jonathan Shalit, fashion designer Jemima French, and This Morning presenter Alison Hammond.[3]
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.[4][1]
Formerly a hairdresser,[1] White moved to the United Kingdom from Jamaica in the 1960s[2] and trained as a nurse before working at St Margaret's (Mental) Hospital in Walsall.[1]
