Results tagged “sculpture”

Naomi Blake is a sculpture who was born in the former Czechoslovakia in a region that is now Ukraine. She was born in 1924 to Jewish parents and was originally named Zisel, which meant "sweet", but her parents changed her name in 1948. She survived the Holocaust and was a teenager imprisoned at Auschwitz and a survivor; many family died there. She endured more struggles and tried to escape to Palestine after the war where she was shot and had to recover in hospital; this is where she started to make carvings of figurines. Her sculptures depict her experiences as a refugee and survivor. She has displayed her work since the early 1960s. One of her permanent sculptures is "View" in Fitzroy Square.

The sculpture appears to be an organic form with a circular "window" where the viewer is encouraged to look through to frame or glimpse what is on the other side. The sculpture was placed here in 1977 for the Queen's Silver Jubilee event.

Hares of Hampshire is a new sculpture trail taking place in Winchester and Southampton this summer. Nearly thirty large hare sculptures, each painted by a different artist with a different style, and many more smaller hare sculptures, have been placed around both cities. The hares will be on display until late August, and I am happy to say that they are all within easy walking distance of each other. The hares will be auctioned off after the trail, and they will raise money for The Murray Parish Trust charity, which is designed to help children who have experienced trauma.

I've taken photographs of all of the large hares in Winchester and Southampton.

"Oriana" - Sally Goodden

"Hockley Hare" - Catherine Ruth Church

"Doctor Who Hare" - Caroline Fairbairn

"The Wishing Hare" - Sophie Hardy

"McGregor" - Paint Barn Ltd; "Rusty" - Allison Allan

"Look Up and Within" - Abigal Wicking Art; "I Wish My Love Was a Cherry" - Tracy Dovey

"Hamish Mackie Boxing Hares" - Hamish Mackie

"Armoured Hare of Winchester" - Jason Curtis; "Mr March" - Illona Clark; "Hare of the Dog" - Christain de Ferranti

"Alloy Jack" - James Murray

"Dazzle" - Kezia Hoffman

"Captain Discovery" - Rachel and Phillippa Corcutt

"Forget Me Not" - Jan Erika

"How Many Rabbits in a Rabbyte?" - Jason Curtis

"Wavy Hare!" - Amy Bourbon

"A Wild Walk on the Downs" - Rachel Alexander

"Hero Hare" - Jenny Leonard

"Carrying For the Natural World" - Raine Yeung

"LEPUS Roman Hare" - Emma Abel of abelmosaics

"Hero Hare" - Jenny Leonard

"H.R. Hare" - Amanda Quellin; "24 Carrot Hare" - John Illsley; "Piette the Hampshire Hare" - Phil Daniels

"Flora and the Midnight Garden" - Marnie Maurri

"Poly" - J Masson

"Hartley Hare" - Jackie Purtill Fine Artist

"Be Your Beautiful Self" - Jenny Muncaster

"Chalk Stream River Itchen" - Wendy Bramall

"Doodle Hare" - Natasha Hillary Art

"Shine Bright Through the Dark" - Reilly Creative

To mark the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, a new sculpture trail has been launched in London between Covent Garden and Victoria. The trail, known as "The Queen and Her Corgis" celebrates the beloved corgi breed of dog and the Queen. The corgi has become a symbol of Queen Elizabeth II as she has owned around thirty of them for many years, and they often appear photographed with her. This year, the corgi was used everywhere as a symbol for the Jubilee. There are nineteen corgi sculptures to see in various locations, although the majority of them are around Victoria. All of them are unique and named after one of the queen's own corgis.

The names of the corgis include Carol, Crackers, Dookie, Holly, Heather, Fergus, Jane, Whiskey, Emma, Willow, Tiny, and Susan. Dookie was one of the royal family's first corgis, and he earned the name "The Duke" because he was a cheeky dog. Fergus is one of the newest, and he is actually a dorgi (a corgi cross with a dachshund). Susan is another one of the famous pets because she was gifted to the Queen on her 18th birthday. Below are the corgi sculptures.

"Sandy" - Sophie Malpas

"Monty" - Alison Salter

"Linnet" - Jeremy Clarke

"Crackers" - Berengere Ducoms

"Emma" - Rebecca Hardaker

"Jane" - Rowana Mallett

"Whisky" - Aga Skiba

"Carol" - Jurga Amehome

"Tiny" - Alex Cullen

"Sherry" - Dominika Karc

"Fergus" - Alice Esme Greenacre

"Susan" - Miya Tsuruda-Behan

"Muick" - Vera Todd

"Sugar" - Soul'D

"Willow" - Hannah Sykes

"Dookie" - Kirsty and Brittany Design

"Heather" - Olivia Clarke

"Holly" - Holly Holder

"Honey" - Olivia Brotherridge

The corgi sculptures are each unique and painted by a different artist, and the sculptures can be seen until late July. They have been in place since the end of May.

Eggs of an Era is an exhibition designed to honor the queen's Platinum Jubilee early next month. Seven large-scale eggs, which have been painted by various London artists, have been placed in the area around Sloane Square and Duke of York's Square. The eggs will be on display until the 12th of June, and each one represents a different decade of Elizabeth II's 70 decades as the queen. This exhibition is brought to us by Elephant Parade and Clarence Court Eggs, who orchestrated the Big Egg Hunt in 2012 and 2013 in London, a large sculpture trail across London and in Covent Garden. You can see some of my photographs and write-ups in links at the end of this post.

70 by Simon Emery

In addition to celebrating the seven decades of Queen Elizabeth II, the sculptures hope to raise awareness of egg poaching and conservation of rare species of bird that have been harmed by egg collectors. The eggs will be auctioned off after being on display, and there are plans for a large Big Egg Hunt next year, so keep watching this space.

Garden of Joy by Ozlem Thompson

This egg represents the 1990s when the queen wore a striking dress for the Royal Variety Performance in 1999. The colours represent her style, the Tudor Rose, and Royal Parks. Both sides of the egg are slightly different in style and in design.

70 by Simon Emery

The egg represents the 1970s and the Silver Jubilee of that year. The Union Jack flag and colours were displayed everywhere in clothing and flying on the streets. The type is very punk rock.

The Turquoise Egg by Tatiana Alida

This egg represents the 2010s and is inspired by the queen's determination and care. It is also inspired by the tranquil ocean and memories as well as hope. 

Queen of Happiness by Emily Powell

Inspired by the 1950s, this egg has the queen's corgi and a handbag. 

The Queen and Her Kings by Sasha Compton

This blue egg is depicted in traditional style, but it represents our current decade, the 2020s. The egg shows the names of future kings in royal blue with family heirs and tradition at its heart. 

Flower Power by Rebecca Campbell 

The 1960s are represented in this floral egg. It was a time of peace and love with bold fashion statements. 

We only were given a small illustration of a map to locate the eggs, and some of them were not in the correct place according to that illustration. I could not locate one of the eggs at all, and I assume that it just had not been placed.

This final egg was Cocktail Hour by Patricia Mitchell. It depicts the 1980s with pop music and butterflies that signify hope. 

For more information about the Big Egg Hunt in 2012 and 2013, see the below posts:

• Hunting Eggs in London: Fabergé Big Egg Hunt
• London's Big Egg Hunt Grand Finale at Covent Garden
• Big Egg Hunt in Covent Garden
• Big Egg Hunt 2013 Begins in London

"A Dog's Trail" featuring everyone's favourite Beagle, Snoopy from the "Peanuts" comic strip, launched this month in and around Cardiff in Wales. The trail coincides with the new dog rehoming centre in Cardiff, which was completed last year. A Dog's Trust is the charity that is sponsoring the trail with Wild In Art and "Peanuts". When I visited Wales, I noticed that so many people had pet dogs. Dogs Trust cares for stray and abandoned dogs, and their new facilities, complete with under-floor heating, will enable comfort to the dogs while they are cared for and before they find their forever homes. Snoopy is the star of the Cardiff streets this spring, and the sculpture trail is on display until early June. 

"The Natural Beauty of Cardiff and Wales" - Linda Scott

I visited Cardiff over Easter weekend in order to see the Snoopy sculptures, which are located in Cardiff, Portcawl, and Caerphilly. When I visited, a few of the sculptures had yet to be placed, but I saw the others. A couple city centre ones had also suffered damage, which is a shame to see.

"They're All Good Dogs" - Matt Joyce

"Self Care with Snoopy" - Alison Howard

"Pow-Wow!" - Jenny Leonard

"Salty Old Seadog" - Judith Chapman

"Cymro" - Rhiannon Roberts and "Let's Get Out and About" - Patternistas

"Papilion" - Kathleen Smith

"Snoop Draig" - Sophie Galliers Art and "Gwlad, Gwlad" - Kayleigh Ashman

"All the Collars of the Rainbow" - Bea Martin and Jack Skivens and "Yr Wydfa" - Kathleen Smith

"Rescue Me - The Dogs of Dogs Trust" - Tasmin McLaughlan

"Celestial Day and Night" - Hannah Morgan and "Bad to the Bone, But a Heart of Gold"  - Alternative Aesthetics and "Dogs Day Out" - Emily Hilditch

"Four Seasons of Walking the Dog" - Lois Cordelia

"Hiraeth and Heritage" - Ceri Carlyon and Chloe Hall

"Y Ci Gwarchod" - Louise Jones Art

"Guard Dog" - Mik Richardson and "Flowers Will Always Grow" - Farah Saffari

"Sea for Miles" - Peter Poole

"Kintsugi" - Joe Davies and "Happy Little Clouds" - Lucie Alexander and "Snoopy Dog Vinci" - Amy Bourbon

"Pirate Snoopy" - Susan Webber

"Bark Side of the Moon" - Rachel Hall Illustration and "Snoopy's Spots" - Sandra Webster

"Snoopix" - Tim Sutcliffe

"Quit Dragon Your Heels" - Amy Bainbridge

"Cwtch" - Rhiannon Griffiths and "Daffadog" - Donna Newman

The Snoopy sculptures are placed for eight weeks and will be removed on June 5. Each sculpture is unique and showcases something about Welsh heritage or dogs, and many have been painted by a local artist. Most of the sculptures are in Cardiff, but Caerphilly and Portcawl host a few. There are also miniature Snoopy sculptures painted by schools and community centres across the three areas.

The National History Museum celebrates the planet Mars this week along with other organisations. This is the 6th anniversary of the ExoMars mission, and there are special events taking place about the red planet. To coincide with this, there was a giant touring artwork located in the entrance hall of the museum on the 14th and 15th of March. Luke Jerram's Mars is currently being hosted at the museum, and it is seven meters in diameter with a resolution of 120dpi NASA imagery of the surface of the planet. 

Luke Jerram has also created a giant moon, which is also on tour currently. The moon (there are multiples) had been hosted at a few venues in London before the pandemic and also toured globally and in the UK in the past couple of years, but I missed seeing it so far. 

The artwork allows the visitor to examine the planet while it slowly rotates. Visitors can view the planet from the ground or from above on the balcony on the first floor.

The first sculpture trail of the year put together by Hemel Hempstead and Wild in Art is "The Big Hoot" in Hemel Hempstead. This family-friendly trail featuring twelve large-sized painted owl sculptures can be explored on foot in the centre of Hemel Hempstead, and it is designed to bring people into the town as part of the Business Improvement agenda after the pandemic. Each of the owl sculptures is unique and encourages exploration of the area with themed events taking place during school half term. The sculptures are in place until the middle of April and just after Easter, so there's plenty of time to visit.

Night Owl by Sue Guthrie

Captain Bluebeard by Donna Newman

Dandelion by Ruth Green

Professor Mechanicus by Glen Brooks and Owlbert by Carloline Daly

Midnight Blossom by Milan Topalovik

The Love Owl - Nisha Grover

Nocturnals by Amanda Quellin

Oh what a night by Roy Meats

Open with Love by Sally Adams and The Beach T'Owl by Megan Heather Evans

Terry the Tiger Owl by Lucky Pablo

I visited the owls on a chilly weekend day in early March. All of the sculptures are relatively close together along a twenty-minute walk from the old town High Street to the modern city centre with shops along the river.

Twenty-five sculptures of lions are currently in residence at Waterloo in London in the park opposite the Old Vic theatre. The sculptures can be seen here until March, but they will also be visiting other cities and locations throughout the year, although the schedule is yet to be announced. The sculptures have been placed by Born Free, a charity that helps protect lions. The "Year of the Lion" is a separate event to celebrate the founder's 100th birthday. The sculptures have been created by artists Gillie and Marc, and you may recognise similar sculptures of elephants that appeared last year at Spitalfields, which were also designed by them ("Herd of Hope" in Spitalfields). 

The numbers of lions is declining. Born Free is hoping to protect the lions and provide a safer world for them. The exhibition lists out a few of the actual lions helped over the years and their stories. The main sculpture depicts a lion on top of a 4x4 vehicle, and the lion depicted is Elsa, a lion that Born Free has helped. The other stories of lions were located on plaques at the base on some of the sculptures, but many of the sculptures did not have one. You can read these stories below.

Black: This lion was the last to ever perform in a circus in Bulgaria, and he now lives in South Africa and is cared for by Born Free.

Nelson: This lion was rescued from a zoo in France that went bankrupt; he now lives in South Africa at the Born Free sanctuary.

Hilts: This lion was saved from being hunted and is being cared for by Born Free.

Cora: She was rescued from a Spanish zoo in 2017 and is being cared for in South Africa by Born Free.

Louga: This lion performed at circuses in France until his rescue and placement at the Born Free sanctuary in South Africa.

Cecil: Cecil was a wild lion who lived in Zimbabwe until he was shot and killed by trophy hunters.

Christian: This was a male lion who was captured and sold by Harrods before being released back into the wild in 1971.

King: This lion was born in 2017 and kept as a pet in an apartment in Paris; he was rescued in the same year.

Iman: This female lion was raised destined for the pet trade, but she was fortunately rescued in 2019 and lives her days at the sanctuary in Ethiopia.

The sculptures are located at Waterloo Green, opposite the Old Vic theatre with the Jubilee line exit and entrance of the underground at Waterloo being the closest exit. The sculptures can be seen until March.

A few light installations have been placed in three areas around the square mile in the City of London this winter, and these light sculptures can be discovered until 22 January. The three areas are near Shoreditch High Street and Moorgate tube station in two locations (London Wall and near Moorgate station). There are five sculptures to see. Unfortunately, a couple of the installations were not completely working during my visit.

'Two Lamps' - Jeroen Henneman

The artist uses everyday objects to create illustrations, which are then illuminated. This installation features two desk lamps that are simplistic in form and illuminated with space around them. (The one in the background should have been illuminated, but it was not working.)

'Singularity' by Squidsoup

This sphere of light appears to be suspended in air. The installation uses light, colour, and different motion of patterns of light; it is all random.

'All the Light You See' by Alicia Eggert

The installation features a sentence that changes its meaning when all of the lights in the words or lit or when only some of the words are lit. This mimics the fact that light takes awhile to travel from one point to another, so "All You See Is Past" is the meaning as light travels through space. It is a reflection on everything having a time limit. 

"NEST" by Vikas Patil and Santosh Gujar

The word "nest" means shelter, and this art installation visually represents a nest. The colours of the lights change over time with multiple colours or the entire structure taking on solid singular colours.

"Butterfly Effect" by Masamichi Shimada

The square contained five or six illuminated butterflies, but not all of the butterflies were illuminated (some of them were not working). The theme of the artwork is the term "butterfly effect", which is global cause and effect.

The sculptures are on display until 22 January, and I hope that all of them are illuminated if you do go to visit them.

2021 has been the year of the sculpture trail. Nearly twenty charity sculpture trails have taken place on various streets in the United Kingdom this year, and many of them were delayed from 2020. The sculpture trails aim to raise money for charities, and they are always a fun day out to explore new areas and to see creative work by local artists. All of the sculptures are unique, and the designs are often a nod to the local area. Below is a list of some of the sculpture trails that I visited this year and others that I was unable to visit.

Elephant Parade in Southampton: Launched in the middle of March, this sculpture trail is run by Elephant Parade to raise awareness of the plight of the elephant in the environment. It consisted of nearly twenty sculptures dotted in and around West Quay shopping centre.

Derby Ram Trail: The Derby Ram trail made its way to Derby's streets in May for the summer and featured several ram sculptures that have been based on the famous Derby ram sculpture in the city. 

Elmer's Big Heart of Kent in Maidstone: The children's book character, an elephant named Elmer, came to Maidstone in Kent in the spring. The sculptures are located around the city and raise charity for local organisations.

Winchester Key Workers Otter Trail: Winchester had several otter sculptures in its shop windows in the spring to raise awareness for key workers. The sculptured were hard to discover and not easy to photograph.

Cows About Cambridge Sculpture Trail: Cambridge is known for its herd of cattle, and these painted cattle raise money for local charity and are fun to locate across the city. They launched in June.

Tusk Lion Trail in London: A pride of lions came to London during the summer months to raise awareness for the endangered lion. The sculptures were designed by celebrities and popular artists and located across London but mainly in west London.

'Hares About Town' at Southend-on-Sea: Over thirty large hare sculptures and several smaller ones were placed around Southend-on-Sea in the height of the summer to raise money for local charities. These were located in various parts of Southend and encouraged a trek around to explore.

GoGo Discover Dinosaurs in Norwich: Twenty T-Rex sculptures were placed in Norwich in the height of the summer. These were meant to be launched in 2020, but it was postponed. These sculptures will be returning next year with additional sculptures for a larger trail. The sculptures highlight the arrival of the dinosaur skeleton of "Dippy" on display in the cathedral.

Worcester's Big Elephant Parade: Another elephant trail featuring thirty elephants went on display in the height of the summer across the centre of Worcester, and this was a pleasant walk around the city with most of the sculptures being accessible easily in a loop walk.

Luton's Big Trunk Elephant Trail: More elephants...this time in Luton. Over thity sculptures are located in the town centre of Luton and in parks outside of the centre.

Hogs of Hampshire in Basingstoke: There were approximately thirty hogs across Basingstoke in the summer months to raise money for local charities.

Gratitude NHS Sculptures in Manchester, Birmingham and London: These human-like figures have been commissioned to raise charity for various NHS charities to benefit those that were on the front line for the pandemic. They were on display in one place for a weekend in London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

Rocket Round Leicester : Fourty rockets have been placed around the city of Leicester with several smaller ones to raise money for a local hospice. The rockets are a nod to Leicester's National Space Centre museum and its study of space through the university programmes. They were placed in the height of the summer.

Walking with the Snowman in Bromley, Swadlincote, Birmingham: I did not visit any of these trails, but the same sculpture designs were displayed in London along the south bank near London Bridge in 2019. The trails each feature twelve snowmen to coincide with the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with each sculpture decorated with one of the twelve themes in the song. 

In addition to the above, the following were some sculpture trails that I did not get to see this year:

Lincoln Imp Trail: Thirty statues of imps are scattered across the city of Lincoln. The imp is one of the statues of the cathedral that is known in the city. I had planned to see them, but I ran out of time.

North Notts Journeys: Nottingham had fourty book benches on display across the city to mark 400 years of the Mayflower, and millions of people can trace their ancestory back to 102 individuals who travelled on the ship. The trail aims to get people back to the high street.

Octopus Ahoy!: Thirty octopus sculptures were located around Essex with one at Liverpool Street Station. These octopuses mark the 400 anniversary of the Mayflower ship and Clacton-on-Sea. 

Light the North: Over 45 lighthouse sculptures have been placed around some of the northern Scotland islands: Orkney, Moray, and Shetland.

Eye Art Trail: The town in Suffolk has brought several tortoise and hare sculptures across the area to raise money for charity as the pandemic has caused a decrease in funding.

Kingfisher Trail: This Cotswolds trail brings over twenty sculptures to the area so people can get out to explore.

Bears of Sheffield: The city of Sheffield hosted bear sculptures over the summer to raise money for children's charities.

Gigantic Leap Stockport Frog Trail: In 2019, the city of Stockport hosted a frog trail. It has returned this year with more frogs to raise further charity for local hospice.

Winchester Gingerbread Trail: Several gingerbread sculptures have been placed in shop windows across the city of Winchester for visitors to find.

Fans of Disney's "Frozen" have had a treat at Covent Garden this November and December with a celebration of all things "Frozen", which is currently showing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Visitors can visit the "Frozen" artwork with Christmas trees in front of the market, and snow falls to an instrumental version of the animation's famous "Let it Go" song every hour from mid-day. Over the past few weeks, the market has been the place for "Frozen" fans with an infinity light tunnel, costumes, and ice sculptures in addition to the falling snow and music.

The infinity light tunnel at Conduit Court in Covent Garden has become themed to blues and whites for "Frozen" with lyrics to the "Let it Go" song on display above the tunnel. Both times that I visited, it was attracting a large group of visitors.

The "Frozen Forest" is a cluster of decorated trees and the "Frozen" logo in front. This is where the snow falls each hour and where music is played. It attracts a lot of people, but the quietest time was in the morning. On the first weekend, it was particularly busy because that was also the weekend of the ice sculptures, and so many parents were around with their children dressed as their favourite "Frozen" characters.

Several ice sculptures were displayed for one day only in early November. In addition to the display, which was put on by The Ice Co, one of Europe's largest ice sculpture companies, the sculpture of Sven the reindeer was being carved in front of an audience. I visited in the early afternoon, and the sculotures appeared to be melting quickly.

The last "Frozen" fun at Covent Garden features fashion. Central Saint Martin's and Disney's "Frozen" have partnered together. The inspiration was on fashion in stage, and they were inspired by "Frozen". Six of the items were on display inside Covent Garden market. 

The "Frozen" display at Covent Garden's last day is on December 27, so if you do want to see it, then head over. Alternatively, if you are a Lego fan, there is an additional Lego installation at Covent Garden, and you can see the details here: "Christmas Carousel of Creativity": Lego Returns to Covent Garden.

Covent Garden became home to a public art exhibition in October by artist Whatshisname (also known as Sebastian Burdon). Burdon created giant dog balloon sculptures, and these were placed at various locations around Covent Garden. Burdon is an artist from Poland, and his work has exhibited worldwide. This installation follows the earlier Chila Burman neon sign artwork that took over the market hall this summer (read about it here). 

It's nice to see Covent Garden decorated with flowers again and busy, and I took some photographs of the different displays on my last visit. I enjoyed walking through Covent Garden when I worked on the Strand, just before the pandemic hit.

There are four balloon dogs to see. The first one I came across is a green one, called "Happy Balloon Dog", and it is crouched next to a balloon.

Another "Happy Balloon Dog" is in an orange colour, and instead of crouching next to a balloon, it is crouching next to a pumpkin. This balloon dog sculpture is located inside the market hall.

The next two sculptures are stretching balloon dog sculptures. One of these is red, and the other one is yellow, and these face each other outside the front of Covent Garden market.

The balloon dog sculptures were only on display until the end of October.

West London contains an unexpected gem a ten-minute walk from Perivale tube station on the Central line. Just north of the tube station is Horsenden Hill, a wooded and pastured hill with walking trails, roaming cattle, a bakery, canalside walks, and more. Horseden Hill almost feels as though it is not a part of London. A colleague recommended Horseden Hill bakery (known as Horsenden Loaf) during the lockdown in early March this year, and I visited it for the first time in March. At that time, it was open on Wednesday mornings and Saturday mornings, and I had some time off to use, so I visited it on the Wednesday. After the lockdown ended, the opening days were changed to Saturdays and Sundays. 

Horsenden Loaf bakery and ovens were built in 2019 with the grand opening in December of that year. Then, the pandemic hit, and the bakery had to be closed for a week due to the lack of flour. However, they were able to open and have been trading since - selling bread, doughnuts, jams, and other items. The bakery produces small-batch items, and they sell items until everything sells out.

On my first visit, I bought a loaf of bread, biscuits, and doughnuts. The bread really is the best.

The items are sold at Horsenden Farm, and there is parking below, though the road up to it and the bridge over the canal is narrow.

The second visit to Horsenden Hill was made by tube at the start of October, and I purchased the cheese and onion flat bread, which is comparable to a pizza. I also purchased another loaf of bread, a filled cream doughnut, a brownie, a cookie, biscuits, and a cinnamon swirl bun. In addition to the bread, the cookie and brownies are also delicious. The brownies are gooey and chocolate-y instead of like cake. I am picky about my brownies as it seems that the British do not do a great job of baking them, and I was pleasantly surprised that Horsenden Loaf does an amazing brownie!

On my latest visit, I had a walk through Horsenden Hill to the "Gruffalo Trail". I thought that I'd check it out. The trail is short and stays around the farm in a loop walk, and it can be walked in thirty minutes easily. Along the way, visitors will see wooden sculptures of the characters in the "Gruffalo" books.

I did do a short diversion off of the trail as it was not very well sign-posted where it loops around, and this led up a pastured hill. There are cattle that roam here. I saw two older calves. They were more interested in grazing than the visitors.

The trail loops back around through the wooded area where visitors can spy the other sculptures before coming face-to-face with the title character itself.

The wooden sculptures include a mouse, a snake, a fox, an owl, and the "Gruffalo" monster.

A trail of elephants have come to the city of Worcester for ten weeks during the summer. Each of the elephants has been painted or designed by an artist. The elephants were on display across the city from the middle of July unti, the beginning of September, and I went to visit them at the end of August. The elephants are part of Wild In Art trails, and their purpose is to raise charity for St. Richard's Hospice. An elephant design was chosen to represent the trail due to the elephant's memory, and the trail hopes that visitors will remember their fun looking for them for many years.

"Inky the Elephant" - Helen Haynes

"Alex the Cleaniphant" - Shilpi Sharma

"The Pears" - Sue Guthrie

"Azalea" - MrASingh and "Silverella" - Lena Kibbler

"Lucy Lavdender" - Lissie Art

"Zentangle" - Neil Morris

"Worcester in Porcelain" - Alice Pickworth

"Dare to Bee Different" - Betti Moretti

"Muddy Walks" - Sophia Wolsey and "Wild World" - Rachel and PhillippaCorcutt

"The Gardener" - Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt and "The Elephant Tree" - Marinie Mauri

"Sundar" - MrASingh

"Jackson" - Cherrie Mansfield

"Strawberrelephant" - Matthew Smith and "Global Warming" - INKIE

"Hive in the Mind" - Jess Perrin

"It's What's Inside that Counts" - Sian Ellis

"Woolyphant" - Reilly Creative

"Life's Snakes and Ladders" - Sally Adams and "What's the Elephant in the Room" - DRPG Creative Team

"Leave the Herd Behind" - Kathleen Smith

"The Panda" - Steve Johnson

"We Are the Music Makers" - Sophie Handy

"Porcelain Elephant" - Amy Bourbon

"An Elephant Never Forgets" - Katie Hodgetts

"Wellyphant" - Sarah Roberts

"Ash" - Popbangcolour Ian Cook

"Sundown Stroll" - Kristina Butigan

"Inky the Elephant" - Helen Haynes

I really enjoyed my visit to Worcester at the end of August to see the elephant trail, and walking the trail in sunny weather was the perfect day.

Three weeks ago, I went to check out this year's Frieze Sculpture festival in Regent's Park. Normally, Frieze Sculpture takes place in Regent's Park every July through October and brings many visitors to the park to enjoy visiting the free artwork. Last year, it was held in October, and this year, it arrived in September. This year, the theme is on powerful structures and environmental concerns.

"Pineapple" - Rosie Wylie

Wylie has been creating pineapples since 2013, and this large white and red sculpture of a pineapple invites visitors into the Regent's Park area.

"Meditation Tree" - Ibrahim El-Salahi

The artist was inspired by the Haraza Tree and uses the tree series of sculptures to investigate the body and tree metaphor that links earth and the heavens.

"Stack 9 Ultramarine Blue" - Annie Morris

This series of bronze organic sphere shapes have been painted and stacked on top of each other and sybolises a balance of motherhood and belonging.

"Lovers in The Regents Park" - Rasheed Araeen

These prisms interlock in different ways and symbolises a minimum shape and form.

"Event Horizon" - Stoyan Dechev

Thundercloud and lightning has multiple symbols in society and mythology.

"Environment de Transchromie Circulaire" - Carlos Cruz-Diez

This uses semi-transparent coloured shapes to encourage interaction and changes to the sculpture by the landscape and other visitors around it whilst observing it. The colours and shapes change.

"Quantum Shift" - Gisela Colon

The large sculpture appears to be not of this earth with the shape and reflection; it appears as if an alien creature. The artist uses classic shapes to create futuristic energy.

"Palanquin" - Anthony Caro

This sculpture appears as a room or bus stop with its interior space. It encourages the viewer to interact with it.

"Untitled" - Tatiana Wolska

This artist's sculptures are on display in two areas in London this year; they are also on display at Sculpture in the City (see my post about Sculpture in the City 2021 here). The artwork is light-weight and has an organic biomorphic form to be placed into the urban or natural environment to highlight plastic waste. The sculpture appears to be living.

"Untitled" - Hose Pedro Croft

This large-scale sculpture includes several rectangular planes of different colour placed against each other. Some of them are solid colours, and some of them are semi-transparent and create their own shapes. They appear to hold each other up.

"Fragment of Serpentine Pavilion for Frieze Sculpture Pak, 2021" - Counterspace

I did not visit the Serpentine Pavilion this year or the past few years. The fragment represents places of meeting and belonging across London.

"Muamba Grove" - Vanessa Da Silva

These shapes appear as though they are organic almost-human forms. Unfortunately, there was someone playing guitar in the middle of the sculptures, so I could not get a better photograph of these playful-looking sculptures.

"Play Sculpture" - Isamu Nogughi

This sculpture is made from sewer pipes. It reminds me of red lips.

"Biosgimature Preservation" - Jorge Otero-Pailos

This sculpture is made from security fencing that surrounded the U.S. Embassy in Oslo and highlights the militarisation of public spaces caused by 9/11.

"Untitled" - Solange Pessoa

These "stones" appear natural, and they are part of the artist's "Skull" series.

"Induk Monster" - Yunizar

These bronze sculptures appear as creatures - natural but man-made at the same time.

There was one sculpture on the map that has not been placed, and I am not sure if it will actually be placed. So, don't worry if you cannot locate all of the sculptures. There is also another "sculpture" that will only be placed during Frieze week for visitors to interact with.

This wraps it up for Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park for 2021. For previous years, see my posts below:

Frieze Sculpture 2020
Frieze Sculpture 2019
Frieze Sculpture 2018
Frieze Art Fair 2017

Seventeen hog sculptures have been placed around Basingstoke to help support local businesses and to get people back into the city. Known as Hampshire Hogs, the sculptures were placed in mid-August and were on the streets until mid-October. I saw them in early October on a visit back to the city that I lived and worked in for nearly ten years, but by the time that I saw them, many had been either taken off the streets of encased indoors or behind ropes because people had been damaging them. Walking out of my way to visit a sculpture that had been removed due to damage was disheartening.

I was still able to see a few of the seventeen hog sculptures. Some of the sculptures depict imagery relevant to Basingstoke.

"Down and Town" - Samantha Emmons

"Sea Sweetie" - Katy Stevens

"Di Vyne" - Mary Chatburn

"Sunbeam" - Sian Storey

"Winton" - Amy Goodman

"Flower Power Pig" - Rachel Davis

"Tommy the Hog" - Catherine Knighton

"The Elves of War Memorial Park" - Liam Kelleher

"Heritage Hog" - Students of BCoT

Gratitude is an art installation organised by Wild in Art, and it features over fifty sculptures designed by different artists in different styles. The sculptures aim to raise charity for the NHS and key workers during the pandemic through NHS Charities Together. The sculptures are decorated primarily with the pandemic in mind and feature different imagery that was familiar during the pandemic. The sculptures appeared in Manchester and Birmingham before finishing their tour at London in the grounds of Southwark Cathedral. The sculptures will be on display from October 1-10, so you still have a few more days to see them.

"Us" - Karis Viola Lambert

"Faces of Lockdown" - Hammo, "Courage" - Pam Hogg

"Faces of Lockdown" - Hammo, "Thank You All" - Oguzhan Secir

"Life Force" - Kate Malone

"You Are Blooming Marvellous" - Marcella Wylie, "Making History" - Karia Viola Lambert

"Faces of the Front Line" - Bronte Palmer

"Super Stars" - Edward Luke Thrush, "The Joy of Pets" - Matt Joyce

"www." - Jenny Leonard

"Faces of the Front Line" - Bronte Palmer, "Say it With Flowers" - Sue Guthrie

"www." - Jenny Leonard, "Nation's Embrace" - Holy Moly

"We Can Be Heroes" - Jess Perrin, "Our Heroes in Blue" - Dame Zandra Rhodes

"Fly Me A Rainbow" - Jina Gelder Illustration, "Creative Resilience" - Jodie Silverman

"Not All Heroes Wear Capes" - Sally Chinea, "Together" - Sally Chinea

"Community" - Will Barras, "Double Bubble, Toil and Trouble" - Guy McKinley

"Hans" - Tim Sutcliffe, "Peace of Mind(fulness)" - Betti Moretti

"Pieces" - Mister Phil, "Good Timber" - Gail Stirling Robertson

"Life Force" - Kate Malone, "Bob" - Kitty Joseph

"Forces Unite" - Mik Richardson, "Rise" - Megan Heather Evans, "Clap for Heroes" - Donna Newman

"Hugs and Kisses" - Piers Atkinson, "Clap for Heroes" - Donna Newman

"A Hug for the World" - Judith Berrill, "Back to Nature" - Laura-Kate Draws, "Take Care of Each Other and Grow - Lockdown Hobbies" - Fernandes Makes

"Stardust" - Andrew Logan, "I Am Thankful For..." - Harkiran Kalsi

An elephant sculpture trail has taken over the streets and parks of Luton. Over thirty large elephant sculptures and many several more smaller elephants are located in Luton for several weeks until 8 October. The sculptures hope to raise money for local charity Keech Hospice Care. After they have graced Luton, the sculptures will be all in one place at two special events this autumn before they are auctioned. I planned a trip to Luton last week to see the sculptures.

"Elephant Juice Luton" - Sian Ellis

"Nature's Journey Illuminated" - Helen Alexander-Bristow

"Unity" - Jenny Leonard

"Joy" - Traci Moss

"Carnival" - Ryna Newell

"Lush and Leafy" - Louise Kirby

"Colour Pop Pachyderm" - iLex.Arts (Holly Foster)

1) "Shine Bright" - Beverley Sweetman
2) "Automa-trunk" - Lily Jade Searle
3) "Enjoy the Journey" - Hazel Oakes
4) "Trunks Through the Changing Seasons" - Sarah Harrison

"Elephant Juice Luton" - Sian Ellis

"Inspiring Hope" - unknown

"The Playful Elephant" - Jude Chapman

"A Transport of Delight" - Lois Cordelia

"It's Holi Holiday!" - Anne-Marie Byrne

"Flame" - Jodie Black

"Harvest of the Herd" - David Maguire

"Busy Bees" - Caroline Coates

"Flypast" - Kathleen Smith

1) "Hide and Seek" - Victoria Ashmenall
2) "We Will Rise" - Anne-Marine Byrne
3) "Nebula" - MrASingh
4) "Lutonne Town" - Megan Evans

"Trunk Full of Love" - Sian Ellis

"Artie" - Amy Bourbon

"Pop Star" - Sandra Russell

"The Elephant Says 'Why Not Now?'" - Mark Titchner

Sculpture in the City is held from May each year in the City of London and allows visitors, commuters, and employees to view various sculptures and artwork in the square mile as they go about their days. Sculpture in the City is in its tenth year this year after being cancelled last year, although many of the previous year's sculptures were extended for another year. The sculpture trail beings about well-known artists as well as new talent, and I always enjoy seeing the sculptures.

This year, there are nineteen new (and a few previous from past years) sculptures to see across the City of London. I visited them toward the end of July. Keep reading to see more about the sculptures.

Burial by Alice Channer

The artist was inspired to create these sculptures in appearance to horizontal bodies of humans in a burial. They are made from reclaimed steel from demolished London buildings and altered to appear like organic materials instead of steel. 

Silent Agitator by Ruth Ewan

This sculpture has historical meaning behind it as it was based on a 1917 illustration for the unions of worker's rights and the organisation of eight hour work days and the 5-day working week. The symbolism of the clock references work days and also references attempts to reclaim personal time, which I believe more people have a taste for after going through the past year or working from home or waiting to return to work.

Keeping Time by Isabella Martin

The banner is located on top of a building and reads "Days and nights crash over me like waves". The artwork is an ode to time-keeping and the measurement of time. The artist thought about a shell in a sea with the water washing over it over centuries.

Unititled by Tatiana Wolska

Recycled plastic bottles have been used to create the sculpture appearing to "climb" or crawl on the building. The light-weight material allows them to be suspended in a multitude of places.

symbols by Guillaume Vandame

The flags shown above Leadenhall Market are the flags of the different communities in the LGBT+ space. These symbols represent the community and rights of people to express who they are after some difficult years with the flag banned and the events of 2020 cancelled.

Unititled by Tatiana Wolska

Recycled plastic bottles have been used to create this sculpture hanging suspended above Leadenhall Market. The light-weight material allows them to be suspended in a multitude of places even though they appear large.

Orphans by Bram Ellens

These sculptures were created from canvases. These canvases were paintings that belonged to those who had died and left the artwork orphaned. The artwork was reused to create the sculptures and to give the canvases a new lease of life.

Bloom Paradise by Jun T. Lai

These sculptures were created to bring more positivity into the world after a difficult time. They depict flowers in bloom, though one of the appears to be a jester's hat to me, and they are meant to transport the viewer to a fantasy land. The flowers represent hope, sky, and life.

ReadHead Sunset Stack by Almuth Tebbenhoff

The sculpture represents a beautiful sunset stack made of coloured blocks. The blue represents the earth and the red the sun, and the orange and pink represent the colours of a sunset and the unknowns of the world. 

In Loving Memory by Oliver Bragg

These benches dotted around replicate the "in memory" benches that are common to cities and parks. However, these encapsulate the little memories that we have every day and our memories. There were a few of these dotted around the City of London to discover.

Reactivity by Regitze Engelsborg Karlsen

The artist wishes that the viewer would create new stories about the landscape for a new understanding of it. These blocks appeared like half-made human forms or sculptures or sculptures of humans that had been worn down and weathered over time.

Harlequin Four by Mark Handforth

This sculpture depicts a large number "4" with varying colours and lights. The artist uses the number a lot in his work, and this piece is constructed from metal in an ad-hoc manner.

Cosmos by Eva Rothschild

This sculpture is painted black on the outside but painted brighter gradient of colours on the inside. The structures support each other. The black appears like a gate with welcoming colours inside.

Murmurs of the Deep by Laura Arminda Kingsley

Microscopic organisms in an oceam setting inspired the artist to install these on the backs of the escalators at the Cheesegrator building.

Stone (Butch) by Rosanne Robertson

This sculpture focuses on the body or form of lesbian or transgender identities. It expresses a shifting and fluid piece and draws on nature.

Rough Neck Business by Mike Ballard

This cubesque sculpture is created from wooden hoardings that can be seen across London while construction work is taking place. The hoardings are from Dalston, Hackney Wick, and the Olympic Park, areas of London that have become more developed on in recent years.

The Garden of Floating Words by Elisa Artessero

These series of words form a poem coming out from the garden with words suspended on towers; at night, the words alone glow. The poem reads "you've gone touching leaves in the moonlight". This sculpture made its debut in 2019.

Metal Man - Deeper Together, Deep Travel Inc. NYC by Laure Prouvost

Sculptural and video elements come together to create this artwork and involve the viewer in a series of images and text on screens. The metal stick figures appear to bow to each other and instruct the user to take part.

Latent Space by Jake Elwes

This projected in Fen Court was meant to be on display throughout July, but it was not on when I visited it during the day. It is meant to encapulate a series of created photographs projected onto the ceiling of the building to show relationships using AI technology.

That wraps it up for this year's Sculpture in the City. Overall, I was disappointed with this year's Sculpture in the City as the pieces were not as good as in past years.

Previous years of London's Sculpture in the City (with exception to 2020 as it was cancelled) are included below:

• Sculpture in the City, 2020 (cancelled)
• Sculpture in the City, 2019
• Sculpture in the City, 2018
• Sculpture in the City, 2017
• Sculpture in the City 2016
• Sculpture in the City 2015
• Sculpture in the City 2014
• Sculpture in the City 2013

WildInArt and charity Break have come together to create their newest sculpture trail in Norwich to coincide with the arrival of Dippy the Dinosaur in Norwich cathedral. The trail features T-Rex dinosaur sculptures and was launched at the end of June and were on the streets until mid-September. I visited the dinosaurs in early September. Although the dinosaurs are gone this year, they will return in 2022 with mammoths to create an even larger trail across Norfolk. The trail aims to raise money for charity Break. Below are several of the thirty large dinosaur sculptures that appeared across Norwich.

"T-Pot" - Deven Bhurke

"The Junkasaurus Rex" - Junkyard Market Crew

"Eyela the T.Spex" - Beverley Gene Coraldean

"Tyra-Norvy-Saurus" - Norwich School and "Do you think they saurus?" - Fiona Gowen and "Tigrasaurus" - Tory Allen and "Hawker" - Lisa Kirkham

"Lost Holmes" - Sally Adams

"Automotosaurus" - Joanne Botterill

"Afternoon Tea-Rex" - Mik Richardson and "Doctorsaurus" - Hilary Sanderson

"T-Pot" - Deven Bhurke

"Hulkasaurus" - Hilary Sanderson

"60 Million Years" - Mik Richardson

"Dino Hunter" - Sophie Li-Rocchi

"Lava Land" - Hannah Nelson

"Rex" - Sally Adams

I am looking forward to seeing the sculptures and their new friends next year.

Previous sculpture trails in Norwich are included below:

Go Go Gorillas! take over Norwich
GoGoHares! Hop Around Norwich and Norfolk
GoGoDragons! came to Norwich