If you are exploring the city centre during Birmingham Tech Week (19–23 October), keep an eye out for a six-metre-tall, colourful horse on wheels landing right in the heart of town.

Titled Faster Horse, this playful sculpture by artist Bruce Asbestos is a bold addition to the high street, serving as the visual focal point for Frontiers Day (21 October). Inspired by the idea that people often look for faster versions of what they already know, the sculpture offers a playful take on how new ideas can change the way we see the world.

Find out what inspired the sculpture and discover a few more things to see and do while you're in Birmingham.


The Idea Behind the Horse

The sculpture takes its inspiration from the famous line attributed to Henry Ford:

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

At the time, people could not picture the motor car, they could only imagine slightly quicker versions of what they already knew. Artist Bruce Asbestos took that metaphor literally, creating a bright, eye-catching horse on wheels.

In a world full of rapid technological shift and debates around artificial intelligence, Faster Horse poses a simple question:

What happens when we stop tweaking existing ideas and start designing the future together?

Birmingham & The West Midlands: Did You Know It Started Here?

The horse's message about thinking differently has a natural connection to Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, where inventors, designers and musicians have helped shape everything from transport to popular culture.

Birmingham and the West Midlands has given the world many of its favourite staples:

 

  • Balti: Birmingham's Balti Triangle is closely associated with the balti, a dish that has become part of the city's food identity.
     
  • Bicycles: Coventry was a birthplace of the modern bicycle industry, with James Starley’s pioneering designs helping transform how the world travels.
     
  • Cadbury & Bournville: John Cadbury opened a shop in Birmingham in 1824. The business grew into one of the UK's best-known chocolate makers, while Bournville developed as a village built around the Cadbury works.
  • The Football League: The world’s first Football League was with Birmingham club Aston Villa among its founding members, helping shape the future of professional football.
     
  • Heavy metal: Birmingham is widely recognised as the birthplace of heavy metal, with local legends Black Sabbath pioneering the genre in the late 1960s.
     
  • Jet engine: Coventry played a pivotal role in the birth of jet-powered flight, with Sir Frank Whittle developing the technology that revolutionised aviation.
     
  • Modern lawn tennis: Harry Gem and Augurio Perera developed an early form of lawn tennis in Edgbaston in the 1850s.
  • Shakespeare’s Words: Down the road in Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare was born, changing literature and the English language forever.
     
  • Typhoo Tea: Founded in Birmingham in 1903 by John Sumner, Typhoo introduced pre-packaged tea leaf blends across the UK, cementing the nation’s love for a good cuppa!

More things to see and do in Birmingham the West MIdlands

If you are visiting Birmingham this week (19-23 October), look out for Faster Horse, and visit local landmarks that represent the innovative culture of our region:


Art, History & Architecture

  • Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Discover Birmingham’s pioneering spirit at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, where world-class collections celebrate the city’s innovative industrial, artistic and cultural heritage
     
  • Ikon Gallery & Centenary Square: Explore contemporary art inside a striking neo-Gothic former schoolhouse, situated in the city's central square.
     
  • Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum: Trace the story of West Midlands industry, featuring historic steam engines alongside interactive science exhibits.
     
  • The Library of Birmingham: Walk up to the rooftop secret garden for panoramic views across the city skyline.

Heritage Days Out

How to Get Involved During Your Visit

  • Play the Interactive Game: A digital Faster Horse game has been created with the input of local school pupils, where players navigate through regional landmarks and historic inventions.

  • Join Frontiers Day at Birmingham Tech Week Drop by on 21 October for creative showcases, pop-up talks, and family-friendly activities around the sculpture.

 

Plan Your Visit

  • What: Faster Horse inflatable sculpture by Bruce Asbestos
  • When: Birmingham Tech Week (19–23 October) | Frontiers Day (21 October)
  • Share Your Photos: Snapping a picture with the installation? Tag @VisitBirmingham, @BOMlab, and use #ItStartsHereWM and #BrumTechWeek.
     

     

Whether you’re coming for the art, history, family days out or simply looking for more things to see and do, you’ll quickly discover why the West Midlands remains a place where great ideas begin.