A towering, six-metre inflatable sculpture is set to dominate Birmingham New Street this October, bringing the region's rich industrial heritage and creative disruptive mindset into focus for Birmingham Tech Week which this year explores the theme of 'Fast Forward'.
Commissioned by BOM (Birmingham Open Media) and supported by the West Midlands Growth Company’s It Starts Here campaign, Faster Horse will serve as the visual anchor for Frontiers Day on 21st October, the festival's flagship creative industries event for future-facing innovation.
Designed by digital-age artist Bruce Asbestos, the sculpture is inspired by Henry Ford’s famous observation that if he had asked people what they wanted, they would have said 'faster horses', rather than imagining the automotive age. Taking the metaphor literally with a giant colourful horse on wheels, the artwork challenges audiences to look beyond incremental tweaking of existing systems, and instead apply collective innovation, talent & creativity to solve advancing real-world challenges.
Demonstrating that the West Midlands is inclusive and brings creativity to the table, Faster Horse asks a fundamental question for the age of AI and changing technologies: What if we stopped tweaking the present and started designing the future, discovering where it can take us when we imagine it together?
The installation complements the region's next ‘It Starts Here’ innovation campaign, which spotlights the West Midlands as a global powerhouse where disruptive minds meet and breakthroughs begin. Celebrating trailblazing homegrown scale-ups like Nonacus, InoCardia, Maeving, Hausbots and Newmanry Labs that are catalysing global progress from the region, the campaign goes live during Birmingham Tech Week.
Alongside the physical landmark, in Europe's youngest major city, Frontiers Day attendees can play a brand-new interactive digital Faster Horse game featuring regional innovation landmarks and inventions. Developed with local schools, this initiative ties directly into ‘Faster Futures,’ a BOM outreach STEM programme engaging 3,000 students in disruptive problem-solving, connected to the Faster Horse concept.
Described by The Stylist magazine as an artist for the social media age, Bruce has exhibited internationally at the Tate Modern Turbine Hall, the Venice Biennale, the Hayward Gallery, SXSW (USA) and the Bangkok Biennale. He has worked with organisations including the National Trust and has work held in the Government Art Collection and the National Justice Museum as was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Breakthrough Fund.
The Faster Horse sculpture celebrates the West Midlands' proud legacy and leadership for creativity, technology and innovation. Commissioned specially for Frontiers Day at Birmingham Tech Week, it explores the excitement and uncertainty that accompany moments of technological change. Throughout history, innovations have often seemed strange, unnecessary or threatening before becoming part of everyday life. The motor car replaced the horse, the internet transformed communication, and now AI presents the latest moment of disruption.

Midlands-based artist, Bruce Asbestos, said:

"Art and technology share the exact same mission: finding new ways to imagine the world around us. In an age of runaway technologies like AI, where we don’t yet know where things will end up, 'Faster Horse' is about pausing to give physical shape to a brand-new idea. Bringing this sculpture to Birmingham Tech Week serves as a playful provocation, connecting the West Midlands' deep history of industrial innovation with a fresh conversation on where human creativity and future technology are heading next.

“Faster Horse is a provocation, and a chance for people to see something unexpected in their daily lives. It’s also designed for those at Birmingham Tech Week to think about the nature of technological advancement, especially in the age of AI, and how it relates to the creative industries.”

Karen Newman, Creative Director of Frontiers Day and CEO of BOM said:

"Faster Horse is a bold, brilliant emblem for Birmingham, capturing the city’s restless curiosity and playful spirit. As one of Europe’s youngest and most diverse cities, Birmingham embraces the future with confidence. At a time when AI and rapid technological change can feel overwhelming and there is a lot of debate around it, this artwork, and our wider school engagement programme around it which will reach over 3000 local schoolchildren, acts as a warm, human reminder that innovation is not exclusive. It is something we can experience, discuss and shape together."

Birmingham Tech Week runs from 19–23 October, with Frontiers Day taking place on 21 October, uniting regional technology, business, creative, and academic leaders. Find out more about the Birmingham Tech Week programme here.