Tag Archives: Sculpture

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Treborth Peace Statue 🕊

Dreamer of Peace, by Kaivalya Torpy

Date

17 October 2020

Location

Treborth Botanic Garden
SH 55117 71230; 53.21829°N, 4.17138°W

Information

From the interpretation panel by the statue:

O dreamers of peace, come.
Let us walk together.
O lovers of peace, come.
Let us run together.
O servers of peace, come.
Let us grow together.

— Sri Chinmoy.

“This peace statue was donated by the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run, the world’s longest relay.

“The runners carry with them a flaming peace torch, like the one on this statue. Along the route, wherever they stop, the torch is passed from hand to hand and heart to heart, and whoever holds it can make their own wish for peace. We all have an important and unique role to play in making the world a more harmonious place.

“So if you would like to join us…

“Hold the peace torch…
Offer your own hope for peace
— a good thought, a contemplation,
a moment of silence…

“In appreciation and celebration of these gardens, the Peace Run donated this statue when the runners visited on 4 August 2019. It was unveiled by Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, PC, AM, a long-time supporter of Treborth Botanic Garden.

“The statue — Dreamer of Peace — by Kaivalya Torpy, was inspired by the founder of the Peace Run, Sri Chinmoy (1931 – 2007) — poet, philosopher, man of peace. Placed in the beautiful setting of this Botanic Garden, it joins others worldwide — each one embodying a vision of peace that is both contemplative and dynamic. The peace statue invites you to rest here awhile and enjoy the healing power of nature.”

Further Reading

Treborth Botanic Garden;
Peace Run;
Sri Chinmoy (Wikipedia)

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Y Ddraig Derw / The Oak Dragon

Y Ddraig Derw / The Oak Dragon

Date

20 January 2019

Location

Bethesda
SH 61244 68420; 53.19469°N, 4.07846°W

Information

The sculpture Y Ddraig Derw was privately commissioned by Dr Ben Alofs and was created by chainsaw carver Simon O’Rourke in January 2019. The piece took six days to carve and was fashioned from a fallen oak branch.

Further Reading

Simon O’Rourke Tree Carving

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Knife Angel

Knife Angel

Date

4 January 2019

Location

Liverpool Cathedral, St James’s Mount, Liverpool
SJ 35385 89411; 53.39754°N, 2.97321°W

Information

Created by artist Alfie Bradley at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry, Knife Angel is a sculpture highlighting the growing issue of knife crime. The 25 ft high artwork was created from over 100,000 bladed weapons handed over to the police in knife amnesties.

The sculpture is currently on view outside Liverpool Cathedral and it is hoped that it will tour other cities in the future.

Further Reading

British Ironwork Centre;
All posts in the British Ironwork Centre series;
Liverpool Cathedral;
All posts in the Liverpool Cathedral series

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Sword, Llanberis

Sword, Llanberis

Date

7 January 2018

Location

Llanberis
SH 57754 60521; 53.12282°N, 4.12714°W

Information

The 6m sculpture of a sword was installed in a car park on the bank of Llyn Padarn in Llanberis in November 2017. The artwork was erected at a cost of £14,000 as part of the Year of Legends tourism campaign in Wales and is said to be symbolic of the princes of Gwynedd. The sculpture has met with a mixed reception locally.

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Rhug Estate

Rhug Estate

Date

26 August 2017

Location

Rhug, Corwen, Denbighshire
SJ 05302 43642; 52.98171°N, 3.41193°W

Information

Rhug Estate in Denbighshire, which covers some 5,000 hectares, is the main estate of Robert Vaughan Wynn (b 1949), 8th Baron Newborough. The organic farm extends over around half of the area of the estate, and features a farm shop, the Bison Grill restaurant and the On the Hoof takeaway. The farm started wholesaling in 2004 and its organic produce is exported internationally and is supplied to establishments such as the Ritz and the Dorchester in London and the seven-star Burj Al Arab in Dubai. An unexpected sight in the fields of North Wales, the farm’s herd of bison has become something of a tourist attraction.

Further Reading

Rhug Estate Organic Farm

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Quantum Leap

Quantum Leap

Date

24 August 2017

Location

Darwin Memorial Geo-Garden, Mardol Quay, Shrewsbury
SJ 48964 12740; 52.70989°N, 2.75684°W

Information

The sculpture Quantum Leap, by Ranbir Lal, Colin Pearce and Mervyn Rodrigues, is located in the Darwin Bicentenary Memorial Garden, which was inaugurated on 8 October 2009.

“Quantum Lead was designed by studying patterns and forms in nature such as flowers, shells and DNA double helix.

“The form of Quantum Leap evokes the local and incidental forms you find when visiting Shrewsbury: such as the arches of the bridges over the River Severn and the patterns formed by boats skulling on the river.”

— Information plaque

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Powis Castle – Roman Emperors

Vitellus [sic] Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Augustus
CE 15 – 69, Roman Emperor for eight months in CE 69

The Herbert family bought a total of 12 marble busts of Roman emperors in the 17th century as souvenirs of their trips to Italy. Each bust weighs 150 kg.

Date

23 August 2017

Location

Powis Castle, Welshpool
SJ 21494 06513; 52.65063°N, 3.16188°W

Information

Powis Castle

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Slate or State, Penrhyn Castle

Slate or State in the Grand Hall, Penrhyn Castle

Date

2 July 2017

Location

Penrhyn Castle, Llandegai, Bangor
SH 60219 71962; 53.22624°N, 4.09534°W

Information

The installation, entitled Slate or State, is on display in the Grand Hall of Penrhyn Castle from 1 July until 5 November 2017.

“This sculpture was developed as part of a year-long residency by artists Zoe Walker and Neil Bromwich. It is a symbolic object; its form is drawn from Victorian paintings and sketches of Penrhyn Quarry, the quarry once owned by Lord Penrhyn.

“The choice of material for the sculpture draws inspiration from the history of protest, and large-scale inflatables that since the 1920s have taken to the streets in collective actions that have called for a fairer society.

“Walker and Bromwich are known internationally for their large-scale participatory events and exhibitions that invite audiences to imagine better worlds. Their residency at Penrhyn Castle was the final act of a three-year collaboration between Arts Council Wales and the National Trust, and their brief was to “interrogate the castle’s controversial history, the stories surrounding it and its relationship with local communities”.

“The focus of the work is the Great Strike of 1900-03, a bid by the men of Penrhyn Quarry to improve their working conditions.

“Walker and Bromwich have worked with individuals, schools and community groups in the quarry town of Bethesda to develop this sculptural work. This sculpture was the focal point of a symbolic event that paid tribute to the local community, which staged the longest strike in British industrial history.

“On 1 July 2017 the Penrhyn Choir processed this sculpture from Bethesda into the Grand Hall. During this performance the original demands of the Great Strike, combined with demands of today, were sung by the choir: colliding in time two points in history where working conditions have been at the forefront of social change.”

– Sara Roberts, Curator

Further Reading

Penrhyn Castle;
Great Strike;
Penrhyn Quarry;
More posts in the Penrhyn Castle Series

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British Ironwork Centre I

Alien

Alien

Date

26 November 2016

Location

Oswestry, Shropshire
SJ 33163 27822; 52.84373°N, 2.99377°W

Information

The British Ironwork Centre is a free tourist attraction in Oswestry featuring an extensive display of metal sculptures. The family-run business, owned by Clive Knowles, also produces a wide range of homeware and garden-feature metalwork items for sale. The Centre has provided props for various film and television productions and also supplied Buckingham Palace with garden pavilions for its 2013 Coronation Festival.

The Centre’s future was in doubt whilst the National Grid had plans – which have now been scrapped – for pylons in the Centre’s land as part of its Mid Wales Connection programme. During that time the Centre undertook alterations, including converting a warehouse into a showroom, without seeking planning permission. The Centre is in discussions with Shropshire Council regarding the planning issue and also to develop plans for improved access from the A5 road and for the creation of a Capability Brown-style formal garden.

Further Reading

British Ironwork Centre

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Dragon, Caernarfon

Dragon, Caernarfon

Dragon, Caernarfon

Date

17 September 2016

Location

Y Maes (Castle Square), Caernarfon
SH 47899 62664; 53.13934°N, 4.27531°W

Information

The dragon, which was on show in Caernarfon’s Castle Square for one day, has been touring Wales over the summer as part of Cadw’s Historic Adventures campaign. The 4-metre-long fibreglass sculpture was fabricated by Cardiff-based model makers Wild Creations Ltd and took six weeks to create.

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