HRL

A shoal of fish will be making their mark this summer with the installation of a new sculpture at the town park’s paddling pool.

The sculpture will replace the vandalised Hilary Frew work “Two Children on a Rock” in the paddling pool. The project was a popular winner in Harlow Renaissance’s annual Hotspots competition supported by the Harlow Star, which was chosen by visitors at last year’s Harlow Town Show. Financial support has been provided by Essex County Council. 

Following a submission process by Harlow Art Trust, Will Spankie, an artist from West Sussex, has now been appointed to create the replacement sculpture.  

His winning design will be a stone carving made from Kilkenny limestone approximately 700mm in the round depicting a shoal of small fish swimming around the circular stone. The fish designs will be produced following a creative workshop with a local school.  

Members of the Judging Panel which included Harlow Renaissance, Harlow Council, Harlow Art Trust and Friends of Harlow Sculpture, felt the proposal was both sympathetic to the environment of the paddling pool and its users, and was a fitting addition to the Art Trust collection. 

Working predominantly in stone and wood due to their durability and his love of their innate beauty, Will demonstrated in his submission how his work is often influenced by organic forms and his interest in the geometric structures, patterns, symmetry and proportion found in nature. He has undertaken commissions for the Brighton Dome, St. Albans Cathedral and the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Palm Beach Florida, amongst others. 

The artist was delighted by his appointment: 
“Having seen many of the other sculptures commissioned by the Harlow Art Trust it is great to be adding to a collection which contains the work of sculptors such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Harlow has an enviable collection and I love the fact that it is not all located in an art gallery, but throughout the town for people to enjoy - it really can claim to be The Sculpture Town.” 

Andrew Bramidge, Chief Executive of Harlow Renaissance: 
“Hotspots 2008 has been a tremendous success and yet another example of the pride Harlow people have in the town. With work now completed at Parndon Wood we are very happy to see the new sculpture at the paddling pool begin to take shape. We look forward to Will bringing his flair and vivacity to the project and making his own impression on the artistic legacy of the town. We see this as being another positive step in the promotion of the town and to help people see something different in Harlow.” 

Julian Rea, Chair of the Harlow Art Trust:
“The Harlow Art Trust is very pleased to be associated with the commissioning of Will Spankie's new stone carving for the Town Park. This will be an attractive work in an important location for both adults and children. 

This work will continue the tradition of placing very high quality works of art around Harlow which the Harlow Art Trust has maintained since the 1950s. 

Harlow now has a collection of public sculpture unique among new towns and among the very best in Britain. Increasingly visitors are coming from other parts of the country and from abroad not only to see the works but also the way in which they are displayed all over the town. 

The Harlow collection is constantly growing. The Art Trust is currently commissioning a large new work to be located at Newhall and hopes to be able to follow this up with further commissions over the next few years.” 

The stone is being brought over from Ireland with completion of the sculpture due by the end of May. It will then be sited by mid July, ready for the many young visitors who are due to use the paddling pool throughout the summer holidays.