The campaign “Save our sculpture” needs £18,000 to transfer it from Leicestershire.
The sculpture was installed in 1972 for six month in The Hayes, Cardiff.A local campaign is gathering £18,000 to bring back to Cardiff a giant sculpture installed 46 years ago as part of a major art project in the UK.
The campaign “Save our sculpture” will restore the work of Garth Evans who created a 12-meter structure as part of a national art project, which installed 17 statues in eight city centres across England and Wales in 1972.
“We hope that the people of Cardiff will embrace the campaign and help us to rescue this sculpture that was created specifically for the city. It’s a chance to play a part in preserving Wales’ rich history of art in the public realm,” said Hannah Firth, Director of Programme at Chapter Art Centre and the leader behind the campaign.
The hammer-like tool sculpture reminds the figure of a black mine tunnel, idea born thanks to Evans grandfather who used to tell him stories of his times as a miner in Wales.
“I wanted to make something that would impact its location, altering and affecting the space and by its presence, create a new sense of place,” said Garth Evans to the Chapter Art Centre team.
The sculpture of 12 meters long, 2,5 meters high and three tons is now in Leicestershire, “where it has remained hidden, neglected and unseen by the public,” said Hannah Firth.
The sculpture of 12 meters long, 2,5 meters high and three tons is now in Leicestershire.
The sculpture needs to be repaired urgently.If the campaign gathers the necessary resources for the restoration and transfer, it will be located in The Hayes at Cardiff’s City center again, close to its original site for two months.
Then, it will move to a permanent home in South Wales; the exact place will be announced during the following weeks.
Also, the money raised will be used to highlight Garth Evans work. There will be an exhibition at Chapter about the artist, a theatre production and a new publication with the comments made by the general public after experiencing the restored sculpture.
The campaign will run is until 14 January of 2019 and the funds are being collected in artfund.org