Results tagged “sculpture”

Last year, 'Wild In Art' put on two sculpture art trails for "Snowdogs", which was  inspired by the animated short "The Snowman™ and The Snowdog", a popular winter film based on a story by Raymond Briggs. The story features a little boy who builds a magical snowman and snowdog. The trails were in Newcastle (covered here) and Brighton (covered here). This year, there is one new "Snowdog" trail, and it is based in Cardiff, Wales.

Anthem - Dale Edna Evans

I spent last weekend wandering around Cardiff in attempt to see as many of the "Snowdog" sculptures as I could. I did not manage to see all of them, but I did see most of them. Below are a few of the photographs of the "Snowdogs" that I liked the best. Highlights of the trail for me included the following, although it is hard to pick out favourites as there were so many wonderful ones:

- "Snow Dragon", a beautiful and fun sparkly dragon-dog.
- "Dino Dog", a wonderful dog transformed into T-Rex.
- "Dog Bot", which is a witty-illustrated sculpture with robots.
- "Plentyn" by Vikki Cornsih, which is a beautiful sunset with multi-coloured acorns and autumn leaves.

Maple - Paul Williams

Local Lad - Dale Edna Evans

Dog with a Bone - Gemma Williams

Me is Who I Am - Gemma Fala

Dino Dog - Jenny Leonard

Dog Bot - Mark Chilcott

Rosy Posy - Sarah Jane Richards

Resolved - George O'Dowd and Phil Morgan

Plentyn - Vikki Cornish

Castles and Dragons - Rachel Blackwell

Snow Dragon - Dorian Spencer Davies

Pop Pup - Damien Jeffries

Sun Dog - Seth Oliver

That Snow Tiger - Emily Ketteringham

Snowbrador - Ruby Copper

Hygge - Deven Bhurke

Snow Business - Nat Clements

Enfys - Rhiannon Roberts

Life's a Beach - Emma Everitt

Chocolate Sundae - Simon Tozer

Blackberry - Simon Tozer

"Snowdogs Tails in Wales" is currently on display from mid-September until the 26th of November. They are located in and around Wales. The sculpture art trail raises money for the charity Tŷ Hafan, which helps young people who have a limited time live a full life with their families.

To celebrate Jane Austin's life, this year marks 200 years since the death of the author. Jane Austin was born near Basingstoke in 1775 and died in July of 1817; she is buried in Winchester Cathedral. To pay tribute to the famous resident, a statue of Jane Austin was unveiled in July this year at the Top of Town, Basingstoke. It is located in front of the town's museum (Willis Museum), off Market Place square.

The statue and local tribute to Jane Austin this year (including the "Sitting with Jane" sculpture art charity trail) has generated interest and increased visitors to Basingstoke.

Basingstoke has a sculpture charity art trail this summer. Less than two years have gone since I moved from Basingstoke, so of course, this was poor timing. Last weekend, I headed down to Basingstoke in order to catch up with a friend as well as to see as much of the trail as I could. The trail, "Sitting for Jane", celebrates the life of author Jane Austin, who was from the area, and the sculptures are shaped as giant books formed into benches. This year marks 200 years since the death of the author. The aim of the trail is to increase visitors to Basingstoke and to raise £50,000 for local Basingstoke community charities.

Promenade - Laura Fearn

Although she was born near Basingstoke, Austin spent time in Southampton and also in Bath, and some of the book benches in the trail made me feel homesick, like the one above, which looks like the row of houses that I lived in and could view from my window. (My view was over the Royal Crescent.) I do miss my time in Bath.  

Beyond the Birdcage - Katy Stevens

Female Power - Fatima Pantoja

The Golden Peacock - Sian Storey

The above book bench is inspired by the famous 1894 cover of "Pride and Prejudice". It is located in Eastrop Park, a short walk away from my flat. The park has a nice lake where boats can be hired and nice grounds with flowers to walk around.

A Fine House Richly Furnished - Jonathan Chapman

Chatsworth House in the Peak District inspired this artwork because it is the real-life home that inspired Mr. Darcy's home and is also used in films.

The House that Jane Built - Jane Callan

The above book bench shows a Regency doll's house made up of several rooms during Jane Austin's era. I thought that this was a creative piece.

Jane Talk - Jenny Leonard

Hearts - Deven Bhurke

The "Sitting with Jane" art sculpture trail is located in Basingstoke until the the end of next weekend. For more information, view the official website at http://www.sittingwithjane.com

Last Sunday, I had a wander around one of my favouirte parks (Regent's Park) in the glorious sunshine. The corner of Regent's Park that I visited was near Great Portland Street. This is where Frieze Sculpture 2017 is taking place, showcasing twenty-five wonderful sculptures to visitors visiting the park from the beginning of July until the 8th of October. This is the first time that the sculpture event has taken place for free during the summer. 

Thomas J. Price - Numen (Shifting Votive One, Two and Three)

I will be taking a look at the sculptures for Frieze Art Fair 2017, which are pictured below.

Thomas J. Price - Numen (Shifting Votive One, Two and Three)

Thomas J. Price's work features three large portraits of African men, and these are placed on marble stone. The large monochrome portraits seem to suggest that individual identity is important and powerful. 

Ugo Rondinone - Summer Moon

A bronze sculpture of a bare tree has been painted white, which starkly constrasts the colour and green of the park. The tree looks ghostly in its white form, as if it has met the end of its life or begun a new one.

Mimmo Paladino - Untitled

Three large orbs are decorated with motifs. 

Emily Young - Planet

Emily Young's work is a single piece of quarried stone which has been transformed into an imperfect portrait.

Alicja Kwade - Big Be-Hide

The sculpture features a mirror with two stones with an identical shape place on either side. One of the stones is painted in silver, and this mimics the plain stone shown on the other side. That side of the mirror is also cracked. This seems to show perception is not as it seems.

KAWS - FINAL DAYS

One of the largest sculptures is a large black cartoonish figure, and I recognise the sculptor's work from Amsterdam. In this design, the figure appears to be in a zombie-like state. 

John Chamberlain - Fiddlersfortune

This reflective pink sculpture appears to be a piece of foil wire and nail cut off and coiled up together. It is a stunning piece, and my camera could not do the colour justice here.

Gary Hume - Bud

A steel column appears to poke from the ground as a spring shoot. This is the first stage with imagination to wonder what it will turn into.

John Wallbank - Untitled (Sewn Cube)

This plastic cube appears to be sewn together with blue thread.

Bernar Venet - 17 Acute Unequal Angles

These rusty-looking beams of steel jut out at odd angles but bring the viewer in to admire the form.

Peter Regli - Reality Hacking No 348

Peter Regli's work often shows a popular subject with a twist. In the sculpture featured, we have a very tall snowman made of black stone.

Hank Willis Thomas - Endless Column

The bronze footballs (soccer balls) are placed one on top of the other to create a tall column. This is a playful and eye-catching sculpture using a familiar item.

Miquel Barcelo - Gran Elefandret

A large elephant is depicted as standing on its trunk. It is an imaginative piece, which seems to defy gravity.

Anthony Caro - Erl King

This sculpture has been formed out of rusted steel, and it seems to show a tribute to machinery and industry.

Eduardo Paolozzi - Vulcan

Vulcan is the Roman god of fire and blacksmith, and he was lame. The artist uses the figure of the god as inspiration for this work, featuring a tall black figure holding blacksmith's tools.

Magdalena Abakanowicz - Standing Figure with Wheel

This sculpture shows a headless and handless figure in front of a large wheel. The figure is detailed and textured, and the wheel (it looks like a mill wheel) is simple in style and without texture. It appears that the man is a slave to the wheel as he is standing at the front of it.

Michael-Craig Martin - Wheelbarrow

A simple red wheelbarrow is constructed out of an orange frame. The single-line illustration also uses the negative space as part of the artwork.

Jaume Plensa - Tribute to Thierry Ruinart

This frame of a figure of a man is constructed from silver metal, which appears to be made out of letters or type.

Rasheed Aramesh - Summertime

This colourful cube with diagonal lines is painted with three primary colours - red, yellow, and blue.

Reza Aramesh - Metamorphosis

Reza Aramesh's sculptures feature hybrid human forms. The sculpture above features a man-goat with his hands tied at the back with a long rope, wearing jeans that have fallen. It is an uncomfortable sculpture which seems to evoke a sense of capture and shame.

Tony Cragg - Stroke

A golden-brown piece of metal looks to have been bended into an organic shape, similar to a tree or a mushroom.

Takuro Kuwata - Untitled and Untitled

These colourful sculptures appear to have amusing textures and colours for the standard sculpture. Both have glistening gold and blue colours, and they appear to be alive and furry.

Urs Fischer - Invisible Mother

A morbib skeleton, which isn't quite human, lies on top of a wooden chair on top of a broken fountain. The placement of the skeleton on its back creates a unique shape as if it was placed there on purpose.

Sculpture in the City is an annual public sculpture trail centred in London's Square Mile. Sculpture in the City is now in its seventh year and has featured artists such as  Damien Hirst and Ai Weiwei along with some newer and lesser-known artists. Workshops are also offered to schools and the community in addition to the public sculpture trail, and these promote inspiration through art. Last year's Sculpture in the City was the biggest success in the trail to date with a variety of wonderful works. This year's works also do not disappoint.

Temple - Damien Hirst

This 21-foot painted bronze sculpture shows a male torso. It appears to be a diagram out of a biology book with half of the sculpture showing muscle and organs and bones. The work is inspired by the artist's anatomical models and "Medicine Cabinet" series of artwork. 

4 Colours at 3 Metres High Situated Work - Daniel Buren

Daniel Buren's artworks explore outdoor light, movement of sun, architecture, and shadows. The colourful work above appears like a pagoda with semi-transparent colours attached, and these reflect to create a colourful glow. This is the most atmospheric piece, and the colours and glow create an ambience and a feeling. This is my favourite artwork for this year's Sculpture in the City.

Reminiscence - Fernando Casasempere

Casasempere works with ceramics, and he studies the landscape. Earth and clay are the materials used to construct the sculpture, which focuses on movement. The bricks appear to be made out of rolled-up textile, while others appear to be made of brick. The piece looks as if it is inspired by architectural ruin.

Black Shed Expanded - Nathaniel Rackowe

The urban shed is a common sight in London, and Nathaniel Rackowe previously had an installation for Sculpture in the City showing another deconstructed black shed. This time, the black shed has been expanded with a bright neon yellow glow inside. It appears to be caught mid-explosion. 

Synapsid - Karen Tang

This brightly-coloured sculpture appears to be a giant insect or alien creature. The bright colour and organic shape draws visitors to it, and it encourages interaction via its shape and openings. 

Envelope of Pulsation (for Leo) - Peter Randall-Page RA

An internationally-aclaimed artist, Peter Randall-Page (RA) contributes for the first time to Sculpture in the City. The sculpture is the artist's most recent, and it is carved from a rare block of granite from Blackenstone quarry on Dartmoor, England. The quarry is owned by the artist's friend Leo. The stone is worked to show movement and texture to the piece whereas the viewer can use their imagination. 

Untitled x3 - Bosco Sodi

These three rocks are escavated from volcanic magma from the Ceboruco volcano in Mexico. The rocks are glazed and fired at high temperatures for three days, and they create their own artwork. I found these shinny red stones mesmorising as I explored them in London.

Falling into Virtual Reality - Recycle Group
This artwork returns for its second year of Sculpture in the City. The collective behind this piece focuses on what our generation will leave behind for future generations. The artwork is created out of recyclable materials and ideas, highlighting consumerism and materials.

Dreamy Bathroom - Gary Webb

Webb's abstract scupture contains individual components that make up and form it. The result is a colourful piece with interesting shapes, textures, and pleasant colours. The items blend well together and play off each other in this work, which I enjoyed seeing from different viewpoints.

Support for a Cloud - Mhairi Vari

The artworks are hung in three different locations around the Lloyd's building in London. They feature honeycombed cocoons or nests, placed above the viewer. At a glance, they do not appear to be art but appear to be natural or a part of the architecture. I do wonder how many people will phone the exterminator by thinking it is a insect nest.

Apple Tree Boy Apple Tree Girl - Paul McCarthy

Apple Tree Boy Apple Tree Girl are a part of McCarthy's Hummel series depcited on a large scale. The German kitsch figures of a boy and girl are shown on an idyllic setting with an apple tree, but they are deformed and abstracted. The artist seems to send a message about how children can be conditioned to follow social norms.

Tipping Point - Kevin Killen

This work is inspired by city lights and recording the non-stop movements of the city. It is an artwork that constantly changes with the flow of its surroundings; the neon lights turn on and off to the varying sequences of the movement. 

Work No. 2814 - Martin Creed

This sculpture uses an existing tree, and plastic bags are hung from its branches to create an "everyday" but surreal installation. The artist's style is to merge ordinary materials and everyday situations into works of art.

Never has there been such urgency, or The eloquent and the Gaga - Ryan Gander

The subject of this artwork is an air-dropped parcel, which is suspended from a tree by a parachute. The contents of the parcel are located on a metal plaque near the installation, but it contains items relating to research and practices and the way that these are signified over communication.

The Black Horse - Mark Wallinger

This horse sculpture was partially created using scanning technology of a real racehorse named Rivera Red. The sculpture celebrates the horse as it is a much-loved creature and a creature that is a popular subject in art.

Ajar - Gavin Turk
This sculpture of a doorframe with a door slightly open was in place for last year's Sculpture in the City. It is a reference of the painting 'La Victoire' by Rene Magritte, in which the door represents a gateway through the imagination and is meant to be interacted with and to imagine possibilities. It reminded me of a doorway with a secret world on the other side, such as the wardrobe in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" books.

Previous years of London's Sculpture in the City are included below:

• Sculpture in the City 2016
• Sculpture in the City 2015
• Sculpture in the City 2014
• Sculpture in the City 2013

Italian street art duo Urban Solid have returned to London in order to display their sculptures at Brick Lane Gallery. They are noted for their street art urban sculptures, and they pasted up "Audio Surveillance" scuptures a few years ago and also place people's faces coming out of television sets. They've recently started to create life-size "Adam and Eve" sculptures and retro gaming/casino plaques with "1Up" and "5 Points" on them. Their sculptures were on display in an exhibition entitled "Sculptural Invasion" for a week from 30 May until today (June 5). I had the chance to check out their work as well as to discover new artwork that the duo put up on the street.

Toward the end of last year, they placed their "Adam and Eve" sculptures just off Brick Lane, and these had been a big hit with tourists posing for photographs. The two figures were painted like tourists. This time, the two figures are painted completely in gold with bright neon pink and green sunglasses.

I also wandered the streets to look for more items left behind and discovered two on either end of Grimsby Street and one in Star Yard and the final on Whitby Street. 

I also popped into Brick Lane Gallery in order to see the exhibit, which I got photographs of below. 

For previous posts about Urban Solid on this blog, visit:

Street Art: Urban Solid
Urban Solid duo put up new London Street Art Installations 

Rammed Earth Elephant is the work of Dominic Snow, who set up a Kickstarter to highlight the crafting and building technique and to raise money for charity and conservation efforts. The technique involves compacting earth together to build the elephants, which is an ancient wall-building method. This wall-building method of compacting dirt and stone was used to create the Great Wall of China.

In November, I discovered a single elephant on Brick Lane. By the end of January, the elephant family increased in size to three.

The Great Elephant Treasure Hunt is a Facebook page set up to highlight the street art elephants in their environments across the UK: https://www.facebook.com/great.elephant.treasure.hunt/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

Street artist Cityzen Kane (an artist that I originally covered here) puts tribal-inspired sculptures up on buildings in London. Last winter, he posted up a few sculptures on Sclater Street. In 2014, he posted up a mural in memory of his son who died from cancer; this red and black mural was on Redchurch Street. I returned from the holidays to find a new artwork by Cityzen Kane on Bacon Street. The new artwork is a stand-alone piece, unlike the last couple of pieces that I have seen from the artist that make a larger artwork.

When the artist puts up one piece like this, there's normally more to follow. I have not seen anymore pieces by Cityzen Kane in London, so if you are aware of any new ones, let me know in the comments.

Italian-based street art installation duo Urban Solid have come back to London after a couple of years to paste up their newest work on the streets. I originally covered their last work for their last visit in this post. They returned old favourites "audio survelliance zone" casts to the street to bring up the topic of survelliance. These are brightly painted in neon paint. The heads inside the television sets (with the remote controls in their mouths) also returned to provide thought-provoking issues related to media and free-thinking. They also brought some new and refreshing work in the form of two humanlike casts pasted up on a popular spot on Brick Lane. These are nearly life-size and feature a man and a woman with clothes painted on and touristy/hipster outfits.

Another features video game graphic art, and the last new piece features a face created from different body parts. 

Unfortunately, a lot of their work seems to have been damaged in transit but is still recognisable. 

Brighton and Hove are currently hosting 'Snowdogs of the Sea' charity sculpture trail to raise funds for Martlet's Hospice. The snowdog sculptures are inspired by the animated short "The Snowman™ and The Snowdog", which is a popular winter and holiday film featuring a little boy who builds a magical snowman and snowdog. Each one of the 45 sculptures on the trail has been painted or crafted by an artist. Newcastle and Tyne have hosted a similar set sculptures for their trail 'Snowdogs of the Great North', which I covered here. The snowdog charity trail runs until 27 November, and the sculptures will be auctioned next month.

Patch the Unfinished Quilt - Judith Berrill

Gizmo - anonymous

Frank - Jane Anderson

Newshound - Heidi Compton

Snowman's Nightmare - Pure Evil

Roodle - Isy Langhome

Merry Go-Hound - Sean Sims

Winter Lilly - Sarah Jane Richards

Splashhound - Lawrence Art Supplies

Process Pup - Josh for (The Osh)

Bella - Chris Dawson

Pebbles - Joanna Martin

Disco Dog - Natalie Guy

Seagulls of the South - Kathleen Smith

Snowman and Snowdog sand sculpture

Bone China - Gemma Compton

Dave the Dog - Totally Dynamic 

I had so much fun tracking down these snowdogs! Unfortunately, I did not manage to see all of them because quite a few are spread out and not easy to get to by car. I did see most of them, and there are a few duplicates from the pack in the northern trail. The dogs will be on the trail until the 27th of this month. For more information about them and the trail, please view the official website at http://www.snowdogsbythesea.co.uk

American street artist Kai Aspire pasted up some street art across London. I found some of his work in Shoreditch, but King's Cross and the South Bank were additional locations where he pasted his work. Kai's artwork contains social themes of imagery, such as consumerism and technology. He creates his work in spray paint and crates plaster sculptures and framed imagery. Most of his work across London was the framed images. The below photographs are the artworks that I found around Shoreditch.

The above image depicts peace with a man holding a flower and standing in front of a tank.

Consumerism is an important theme with one person being bombarded with advertisements and another reaching out from a bar code to pluck a flower.

Technology also features with a person trapped inside a mobile phone. The words "save urself" are printed on the phone.

In the above image, the bag of money holds the person down from being carried away by a heart balloon. Money ties and weighs us down, keeping us from what we love and freedom.

The above image features a business-person running in a hamster wheel. This depicts working hard and never getting ahead and never having enough time.

I love the above image as it is a simple image that features two friends sharing a pile of books.  

Tyne and Wear are currently hosting 'Great Snowdogs of the North' charity sculpture trail to raise funds for St. Oswald's Children's Hospice. The snowdog sculptures are inspired by the animated short "The Snowman™ and The Snowdog", which is a popular winter and holiday film featuring a little boy who builds a magical snowman and snowdog. Each sculpture has been painted or crafted by an artist or group of artists. The charity trail runs until 29 November, and the sculptures will be auctioned in the new year.

Snowberry - Simon Tozer

Last weekend, I headed up to Newcastle to have a look around as the city and area is one of the few places in the country that I have not had a chance to visit; I also downloaded the app for the Snowdog trail, and the bloke and I headed off finding the snowdogs. Unfortunately, the snowdogs were scattered all over the county and not in one place where we could walk to them, so we drove to see them and I spent the next day in Newcastle in order to see the ones that I could visit on foot. I managed to see all of them except for one that was located much further north in Northumberland National Park.

Dog on the Tyne - Jane Headford

Snowdog Springtime - Joanna Lumley

Great North Polar Pooch - Sandra Jaekel-Bothyart

Tails of the Sea - Joanne Wishart

Luna - Geoff Chappell

Wonderhound - Illona Clark

Sparky - David Sith

Chilly Dog - Sally Adams

Rosy Posy - Sarah Jane Richards

Patchword Snowdog - Jill Barklem

Es Tu Cosa - Tristan Lathley

Gingerbread Dog - Sarah-Jane Szikora

Pawdington - Mandii Pope

Rover Codex - Ellie Tarratt

Skipper - Joanne Wishart

Snow Angel of the North - Mik Richardson

Snowline - Jim Edwards

Arthur - Jeff Rowland

For more information about Great North Snowdogs and the trail map, visit the official website at http://www.greatnorthsnowdogs.co.uk

Every year or two, the artwork on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is refreshed with a new work. The work is selected by a panel or voted on by the public, and the winning piece for this year is by artist David Shringley from Macclesfield, England. The bronze sculpture features a giant hand giving the "thumb's up" sign, which has become synonymous with social media websites for "liking" something. The artwork is titled "Really Good". This piece originally came to light during the voting in 2013 for the next commission, but it lost out to a horse skeleton sculpture.

The thumb is deliberately made out of proportion to encourage positivity in the world, and it could not come at a better time in this whirlwind summer politically and socially.

"Really Good" is the eleventh artwork to be commissioned by the Mayor of London on the Fourth Plinth. Past entries have included giant blue roosters, horse skeletons, ships in glass bottles, and even everyday people. I've not been able to cover all eleven of them, but here are some of the past entries that I have seen:

2015: A horse skeleton with a stock ticker tape
2014: A giant blue rooster
2012: A boy on a rocking horse
2011: Ships in a bottle
2009: members of the public were encouraged to do their own 'thing' on the plinth
2005: limbless pregnant female

London's annual festival dedicated to the river Thames (Totally Thames) always brings art and culture to the city, and each year is an installation piece placed in or on the river. In the past, there has been statues that submerge when the tide is high and an inflatible hippo. This year, one of South Korea's most prestigious artists, Ik-Joong Kang, has created the installation 'Floating Dreams'. 

'Floating Dreams' is an illuminated lantern made using over 500 drawings, and it symbolises those who were displaced during the Korean War and hopes for peace and reunification for North and South Korea. The drawings and writings were created from the people who lived through the Korean War and who were asked to draw and remember their hometowns and those places and people that were lost.

A little boy in a yellow jacket stands on the top of the illuminated cube, turning and shining a torch/flashlight into the night as if searching for something. His school bag is located at the base of the cube.

'Floating Dreams' by Ik-Joong Kang is on display next to Millennium Bridge until the end of the month. It is illuminated at dusk each night.

This weekend marks 350 years since the great fire burned through the City of London. As a result of this anniversary, London is hosting events this weekend including an artistic fire projected onto St. Paul's dome, a burning street on the Thames, toppling dominoes across the city, and a fire garden at Tate Modern on South Bank. Fire Garden is the work of French arts group Compagnie Carabosse, and it is an art exhibition made using fire and metal sculpture. I previously visited one of their Fire Garden installations at Milton Keynes during 2012 and again a large-scale fire garden at Battersea Power Station a couple of years ago. The installations are truely one of a kind.

The fire garden was held in the grounds in front of Tate Modern on the South Bank with views over St. Paul's Cathedral, which was lit up with flames projected on the dome later on in the evening.

We arrived a little early and watched the fires being lit and waited until the dusk and darkess fell before we received the full effect of the flickering lights and the smell of fire. The white shirts were used as lanterns above.

The above contraption was new, and it consisted of several pipes with flames emitting at different angles, water, and steam. 

The human-like robotic kinetic sculptures were also back and casting amazing shadows onto the walls of the Tate. A couple of new ones were present, acting like trapeze artists and cycling back and forth on a highwire with flames underneath.

The giant orbs burn slowly, creating unique shapes and colours in the coals inside.

The above contraption was one that I've seen at the other events. It is manned with someone turning a wheel to adjust the heat and pressure of the flame. Every now and again, the flame soars into the air with an almightly burst.

The long pipes with symbols are harder to photograph, but I managed to capture a decent photograph of the fire garden.

In addition to the different firey sculptures, music was also played to the crowds. The music set the theme of the fire garden. Beer and BBQ food could also be purchased, and the event is free. It is open from 20:00-11:00 each night until (and including) Sunday. It is well worth a visit. I visited it on Thursday, and the crowds were not too great, but it may get busier when word gets out.

Throughout most of July and until the end of August, the BFG Trail can be visited across London. The BFG Trail is a charity art sculpture trail to celebrate the release of the film 'The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant)', based on a children's book by Roald Dahl. The sculpture trail features "dream jars", which are an integral part of the film where the giant character captures dreams inside the jars. The charity trail aims to raise money for 'Save the Children' charity when the sculptures are auctioned off later in the year. A similar charity trail was held for the 'Paddington Bear' film at the end of 2014. The jars are located across the city and have been designed by several famous names. These include Stephen Hawking, Steven Spielberg, Buzz Aldrin, Cara Delevingne, Helen Mirren, Graham Norton, the Duchess of Cornwall, Maisie Williams, Niall Horan, Richard Branson, Naomi Campbell, the mayor of London, Simon Cowell, Zoella and many others.

Ship of dreams - Ben Ainslie

I discovered most of the dream jars in one day and then spent another evening finishing up the ones that I missed. Not all of the jars were on display when I visited at the end of July. I discovered some unique ones with the play on 'dreams'. Some included ships in a bottle, and one featured a solid bar of gold. Others feature real aspirations, such as winning at sport or becoming a singer. Others featured dreams in quirky dream states or near-nightmares, and others were used for social awareness. I've only included a selection of the dream jars below.

We all dream of ice cream - Erin O'Connor

Enchanted forest - Naomi Campbell

Dream of England - Helen Mirren

Happy jumble of life - Sophie Dahl

Dreams are as precious as gold - Harrods

On the wings of a dream - Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing

Dream on - Henry Holland

Read - Duchess of Cornwall; Innocence - Countess of Wessex; Mayor of dreamland - Robert Davis; Dreamy Dreaming Dreams Dog - Robert Bradford

Sweet dreams - Steven Spielberg

Dream Big - Romero Britto

Healthy start, happier lives - RB

For the love of the hedgehog - Zoella

Safe - Ryan McElhinney

Penny for your thoughts - Jane Morgan

A stitch in time saves nine - Jenny Packham

Totem Pole - Nadiya Hussain; Reach for the stars - Richard Branson; The heart takes over  - David Wier; City of dreams (mayor of London Sadiq Kahn)

The BFG dream jar trail will only be on display until the 31st of August, so hurry if you want to see them as there's not too much time left.

Last Sunday, I visited (one of my old haunts) Southampton in order to complete the Zany Zebras charity trail, featuring several large zebra sculptures that were painted or decorated by artists for charity. Amongst these, I noticed a familiar artistic style by London-based street artist Otto Schade. In addition to the zebra, I saw the first street art that I've ever seen in Southampton. The artist was, again, Otto Schade (or simply Osch). The street art features his other artistic style featuring a silhouette of a political/social scene in a colourful orange orb. This one features the evolution of humans looking over a cliff. The artwork is located at the entrance of Marlands Shopping Centre near West Quay (the main shopping mall).

Inside the shopping centre is the zebra. I recognised Otto Schade's unique ribbon style right away. The zebra is named "Silver". Doesn't he look proud and majestic?

As I'm covering the above works, I thought that I'd also add a piece from London that was updated earlier this summer. Otto Schade's work always features on this wall on Brick Lane, and the ribbon-effect of London's districts and rivers was previously painted in this spot. The rendering keeps improving with each paint.

The Zany Zebras sculpture trail will only be around until the middle of September, so if you do want to see Otto Schade's zebra, be quick. The exact date when the zebras will be removed is not stated on their social media websites or their official website, but you can check out their official website here: http://zanyzebras.org.uk

Three years ago, Go! Rhinos were loose in Southampton (courtesy of local Southampton zoo Marwell Zoo), delighting families and raising money for charity. Last year, Marwell Zoo announced that they would be hosting another charity animal trail in Southampton this summer. The trail brings the full-sized zebra sculptures to Southampton as well as smaller versions which have been decorated by schools and other community organisations. The sculptures are placed around Southampton for ten weeks in the summer and will be auctioned off in the autumn. The proceeds will go to saving the zebra and their environment in northern Kenya.

I had a trip to Southampton in order to track down the zebras, which you can see below.

Gilbert - Laura Schillemore

This zebra is the poster boy of the trail.

Crystal - Tony Allen

This rainbow-inspired zebra was one of my favourites (if not my favourite).

Warren - Laura Schillemore

This zebra features school supplies.

Frederick - Tony Hitchcock

This is a pirate zebra posing outside the theatre.

Dave - Stephan McKay

A 'dazzle' of zebras is painted on this sculpture to encourage viewers to find them all.

Tooly McTool - Minky

This is a builder zebra.

AquaZebra - Will Rosie

This was created due to Southampton's close ties with the sea and making the seaweed appear like the stripes on the zebra.

Barcode - Anne Mainwaring, Liza Burden and Christine Ellson and team

Sponsored by a craft store, this zebra explores the creativity of many people. Knitted socks keep the zebra feet warm, and illustrations and paint in quilted patterns show some examples of creativity.

Who's You - Denise Hughes

This zebra shows many school children from all over the world.

Fantastic Mr Fox - Deven Bhurke

This zebra has been transformed into a fox.

Silver - Otto Schade

This street artist created a zebra with his trademark ribbon pattern painting style.

The Trojan Zebra - Simon Chadwick

This is a clever zebra with many characters of lions peering from the panels. I spent a little bit of time looking at them and picking out the television show or film that the characters were based off of. This was a fun sculpture to see.

Carpe Diem - Jasen Barker

Named for its sea design featuring carp and sea life, it also inspires the viewer to 'sieze the day'.

Captain Stripes - Will Rosie

This zebra is patriotic with its Union Jack design.

Snappy - Michelle Heron

This zebra has been transformed into a shark. It's very clever.

King Zalfred - PingSweetie

This zebra is created to market Winchester. The zebra is modelled on "King Alfred the Great" and has a sword and a shield.

Southern Gold - Ellie Fane

Sailboats are the design of this zebra, which is conveniently-located next to the sea.

Biffa - Nina Fraser

This construction-worker zebra is sponsored by a construction company. The company wish to make the environment safe and recycle as much as possible.

ZZTop - Jenny Leonard

The black and white piano key or keyboard theme was used a lot for quite a few of the zebras. 

Zayla - Julian Masson

This zebra is meant to glow in the dark, although I did not see it. It is one of my favourites.

Zeabastian the Seabra - Tom Joyce

This zebra is covered in cartoonish sea creatures. 

Goldmane - Mik Richardson

This zebra wears a justice cloak.

Zebby Road - Jenny Leonard

The famous zebra crossing at Abbey Road immortalised the band The Beatles. This zebra features the zebra crossing on the front of the album that The Beatles released.

Allegra - Sian Storey

This zebra is inspired by the African landscape.

The sculptures will be on display for ten weeks from July 16, so that means that they should be available until mid-September. I was unable to find an exact date on their website. Also, five of the sculptures were damaged and removed when I visited Southampton. I wish people would stop stealing and harming these sculptures as they are for a good cause, the artist spent a lot of time evolving them, and people want to see them. For more information, you can view their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ZanyZebras2016/

Sculpture in the City 2016 is a public sculpture trail around the City of London's Square Mile. This is the sixth year of the public art event, and there are many stunning new pieces on display this year. The artwork featured is from well-known and upcoming artists. For previous posts about past Sculptue in the City trails, see Sculpture in the City 2015, Sculpture in the City 2014 and Sculpture in the City 2013.

Ajar - Gavin Turk
This sculpture of a doorframe with a door open ajar is a reference of the painting 'La Victoire' by Rene Magritte. The door represents a gateway through the imagination and is meant to be interacted with and to imagine possibilities. It reminded me of a doorway with a secret world on the other side, such as the wardrobe in "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" books.

Fire Walker - William Kentridge and Gerhard Marz
This sculpture is actually formed out of several different frames pieces together, and it takes the shape of a woman when examined at a certain angle. The figure represents market workers, and the 'fire walkers' are the ones selling coal to the vendors.

Florian / Kevin - Sarah Lucas
These bronze giant marrows symbolise growth and the harvest festivals in the country. The sculptures have been polished to appear gold and show these organic figures in the unusual city location.  

Cadenetas - Lizi Sánchez
Lizi Sánchez creates paper chains using packaging and building materials to form the brightly-coloured rings. The art references more traditional styles of handmade decorations but places these in the environment as abstract sculptures that are waiting to be found if the viewer looks in the right place. Many of these small paper chains were discovered around the City.

Sunrise. east. July / Sunrise. wast. October - Ugp Rondinone
Twelve of these monolithic silver masks, names for each month, exist. The sculptures are made of bronze but plated in silver. They two masks appear cartoonish with their big grins. This makes them seem a little more human and likeable.

Falling into Virtual Reality - Recycle Group
This collective focuses on what our generation will leave behind for future generations and what will be discovered when we are gone. The artwork created is created out of recyclable materials and ideals. The subject of this art is a person falling into a virtual world while holding onto a mobile phone.   

Broken Pillar #12 - Shan Hur 
This sculpture was also on display last year. The artist incorporates discovered objects into the pillars. The objects are usually relevant to the location where the sculpture is placed. This sculpture features a pillar that has been broken open in one area to reveal a beautiful vase with a flower design.

Axis Mundi - Jürgen Partenheimer
These bright blue bronze cubes are stacked vertically and represent a spirally upward axis that lifts into heaven. This sculpture is meant to be observed spiritually, noting the energy and upward structure.

Of Saints and Sailors - Benedetto Pietromarchi
The artist joined a group of Filipino men on a transatlantic journey on a cargo ship. During the journey, he modelled each of the faces of the sailors out of clay. The busts were placed onto pedestals adjoined with chains and other metal pieces, making the figures appear almost like they are part machine. 

Solar|Relay - Petroc Sesti
The artist has previously collaborated with NASA and used footage from the SOHO space probe. The video shows the sun and its beauty.

Idee di pietra 1373 Kg di luce - Giuseppe Penone
This bronze tree holds several large boulders in its branches. The boulders appear as if they could fall at any moment, and the viewer questions how they got there. Did the tree grow around them and lift them up?

Magic Lantern Small  - Mat Collishaw
The Victoria and Albert Museum has a special installation from this artist in the winter of 2010, and this featured a large-scale effect of moths fluttering on the street below an oversized lantern. This is a smaller lantern, and inside, the insects can be seen in flight against a bulb.

Laura - Jaume Plensa
This is an ongoing series of portraits, and this sculpture is of a young girl. The image of the girl appears to be dreaming and involves being caught in a moment of time.  The perception of the sculpture is unique. It almost looks surreal as the scupture appears to be a flat image, but it can be viewed at other angles to see effects of perception.

Centaurus/Camelopardalis - Michael Lyons
These sculptures are a part of an ongoing series based on stars and constellations. These pieces of metal were discovered and then transformed into new structures, sometimes many times before the artist was happy with the result.

The Orientalist - Huma Bhabha
This bronze sculpture resembles a regal figure sitting on a throne. Despite the regal appearnce of the seated figure, the frame of the limbs look almost skeletal. The figure seems to suggest that the figure is only human.

Aurora - Anthony Caro
This sculpture was created from a floating buoy that was being scrapped. The two rounded figures were modelled to look like waves, and the artist struggled to pick the colour before being suggested to use a bright red.

Untitled - Enrico David
The artist created a surrealist bronze sculpture that depicts a head on top of a thin and nail-like stalk. The sculpture leans against a wall with the head propped up uncomfortably against it. This was a little difficult to look at but memorable at the same time. At first glance, it simply appears like a post propped against a wall.

I always enjoy seeing what is on offer for Sculpture in the City and hunting down the artworks. I must say that this year's line up is, without a doubt, my favourite so far. The sculptures will be on display until May, so see them when you get the chance.

I went to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Chelsea Flower Show on Satrrday. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been on my "London Bucket List" for a few years now, and I can now tick that off my list. The show is a popular event in London's calendar because it gets a lot of press, and the Queen, royal family, and celebrities visit nearly every year. (They visit the day before it is open to the general public.) The show is only on for a few days at the end of May each year and is held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea near Sloane Square. The show gardens are created the weekend before, and it is open to the general public on Tuesday. The final day of the show is on the Saturday when all of the plants are auctioned off at 4:00.

Royal Hospital Chelsea

I got up very early so that I could queue for the show to get in before it got too busy. Having never been before, I read tips online that mentioned seeing the show gardens first as they get busy later on. The night before, I looked at the guide and map and decided on a plan of action for seeing the show gardens. I'm glad that I followed this tip as I scrambled to see the show gardens, which did get busier as the time progressed, but I was able to see all of them. I've heard that some people do not get to see all of them because they can be several people deep later in the day.

Below are my photographs of many of the gardens at the show, including the prize won by each garden. In the prize category, Gold is top place; silver-gilt is second, and silver is third. 

M&G Garden - (Show Garden - Gold)

This garden was inspired by the designer's memory of ancient oak woodlands in Exmoor National Park (England) and includes 'forest' trails, wildflowers, and a pool of water. This garden won the 'Best Construction Award'.

LG Smart Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

There were a couple of gardens that I loved, and this was one of them. This garden advertises smart home technology but also brings it to the garden as well. I loved the pastel colours of the flowers, the minimal interior of the home, and the difference in textures with the furry skins on the back of the chairs. This seems to combine the home and garden together. The purple, white and green colour scheme seems to be popular this year.

Watahan East & West Garden (Show Garden - Silver)

The Watahan East & West Garden is created by Japanese designer Tea Yano, and it combines English and Japanese styles and plants. I liked the reflections in the pool.

St. John Hospice - A Modern Apothecary (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This was another one of my favourite gardens. This garden was inspired by doctors and care professionals when asked about improving health and the context of the healing power of plants based on the quote by Socrates "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." Plants that are known for their health benefits are included in the garden as well as a bench where one can sit and take in the aroma of lavender and other plants and watch the small fountain of water. The garden contains red-leaved herbs (Atriplex, Beta and Brassica) which contain anthocyanidins are known to relieve oxidative stress (stresses from toxins). Several of the plants in the garden can also be eaten.

The way plants clear toxins and freshens the air is very important to me. Studies have been shown that certain plants purify the air and get rid of toxins, and this is why house plants are important to remove toxins in plastics, furniture, products that we use, and vehicles. Since moving into a house in October and having more room, I have researched different house plants to buy to purify the air and to remove toxins and fumes from car pollution. Note that a lot of plants can be posionous to animals if eaten (cats are attracted to plants), but they can be placed up high on shelving where the animals cannot access them.

The Chelsea Barracks Garden (Show Garden - Gold)

This garden looks onto the Chelsea Barracks, so the garden was built to enhance the heritage and architecture of the building. Roses are prominent in the garden, and the bronze sculptures reference those who resided here.

Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital (Show Garden - Gold)

This garden will be moved to the Great Ormond Street Hospital (a children's hospital) permanently after the show. It is a centrepiece for families and children to come to gather while the children have their treatment at the hospital. The building is inspired by Japanese architecture. I love the metalwork on the ceiling of the building, which reminds me of leaves and the reflections that this would create to feel outdoors around the foilage. White and pastel purple/blue flowers also feature in this garden.

Antithesis of Sarcophagi (Fresh Garden - Gold)

This granite cube has writing on one side and looks just like a solid cube of rock. However, there is a surprise inside. Visitors walk around the cube and discover small holes in the stone to look through. Inside the cube is a beautiful garden. This unique garden won the 'Best in Show' in the Fresh Garden category.

The 5000 Poppies Project

For Rememberance Day in Australia, 5000 poppies were knitted. It took three years to create the poppies, and many have been donated. This reminds me of the famous Poppies at the Tower exhibition in 2014. This is one of the most photographed pieces of the Flower Show this year, and it has received a lot of press.

Grand Mirror Form

This sculpture was inspired by folding paper several times to come up with different shapes and angular forms. 

The Husqvarna Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This Australian garden offers reflection and relaxation. The sunken lawn areas and layered hedges make the garden feel more private. The garden uses a lot of deep purple/pink/red shades of flowers along with sage-green leaves and red ferns.

Vestra Wealth's Garden of Mindful Living (Show Garden - Gold)

This is a modern garden for a busy client inspired by the Far East and yoga. It combines views of the city with a garden space to enhance life's balance.

Brewin Dolphin Garden - Forever Freefolk (Show Garden - Silver)

The message of this garden encourages people to think about natural resources and threats of the environment. This garden contains many brightly-coloured flowers and brightly-coloured gravel instead of following a limited colour scheme.

The Telegraph Garden (Show Garden - Gold)

This garden won 'Best in Show' this year, and it is inspired by the landscape with the slabs of bronze representing mountains. 

Winton Beauty of Mathematics Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

Mathematical patterns help to describe beauty and is commonly used in design, art, and music for composition. 

Royal Bank of Canada Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This garden was inspired by a recent garden that the designer designed for the royal garden in Jordan. It contains scultped basalt pyramids and water reflections. The primary theme is the importance of water. The plants used are what can be found in Jordan and what suits the climate there.

L'Occitane Garden (Show Garden - Gold)

The brand is celebrating 40 years of its beauty and skincare products. The garden is inspired by its home in Provence, France and is made to look like the countryside of this area with lavender, cornflowers, poppies, and other flowers and plants found in this area.

Hartley Botanic Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This garden has a glass house sitting on the water. The glass house contains carniverous plants, but the outside is decorated with pastel plants.

Cloudy Bay Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This garden is simple, and the wooden frame suggests that there are no boundaries. 

God's Own Country - a Garden for Yorkshire (Show Garden - Silver)

This garden celebrates Yorkshire and its important gardens and heritage sites, including Yorkminster. The stained glass is a replica of Yorkminster, and it was created using methods from the 1400s. The garden contains flowers of multiple colours. Although I loved this garden and its multiple colours, I think it would have done better to plant flowers that complement the stained glass windows as I feel that they distract from it. There is a little too much going on. 

This garden won the BBC and RHS People's Choice award. 

Oh, and I noticed that these brown irises were in quite a few of the gardens on display. I've never seen a colour like this before.

The Harrods British Eccentrics Garden (Show Garden - Silver-gilt)

This was a very beautiful garden to photograph with a variety of beautiful flowers and hedges. It was inspired by the British eccentric with mechanisms engineered and inspired by the likes of the creations in Wallace and Gromit and others. This is also a memorable garden because the bay trees twirled, the garden boxes on the shed moved, and the roof on the shed lifted. Other hedges spun or lowered. 

The Modern Slavery Garden (Fresh Garden - Gold)

This garden also won the People's Choice award. It symbolises the hope for the end of slavery, but the bad still happens behind closed doors. The doors symbolise a way to open to freedoms.

Imperial Garden - Revive (Fresh Garden - Silver)

This garden is designed by a Ukranian designer and had lace-like elements that join the different elements together. It tries to redefine the world by removing politics in the world to create a harmony.

Pro Corda Trust - A Suffolk Retreat (Artisan Garden - Silver)

I loved this little garden, which contains a fountain, a summer house, and green and pale purple flowers. The garden is constructed as a retreat for young people with educational needs so that they could engage and create.

Senri-Sentei Garage Garden (Artisan Garden - Gold)

This garden is for a car enthusiast and complements the car as well as provides a relaxing garden space.

After visiting the show gardens, we went into the Great Pavilion. Inside are exhibitors and plant sellers as well as community/education exhibits. One of the displays featured the Queen's 90th birthday. We actually saw a few pay tribute to the Queen, and the show had an area with photographs over the ages.

The Olympics also played a part in a large and colourful exhibition. Around this exhibit were several microscopes where we could see work by Willard Wigan. He creates artwork that fits inside an eye of a needle, which is barely visible with the naked eye. Looking through the microscope allowed the pieces to be seen an admired. I was wowed with this. Painting and constructing these tiny artworks was impressive. My favourites were the Olympic torch and Olympic symbol (how did he do this?) and the four seasons with the changing trees.

Exhibitors tend to specialise in one plant area. There was an exhibit of orchids, roses, cacti, lillies, rhododendrons, peonies, carniverous plants, tulips, daffodils, irises, and other plants.

A special exhibition to the Queen was also created with multiple colours. The other side of the artwork contains a mock 'stand' with buckets of flowers similar to what may be discovered at a flower market. This celebrates New Covent Garden flower market.

A church frame was also created with beautiful pastel pink/purple, cream, and orange flowers.

I liked the colours of the beach huts with the different colours of the plants.

Before we wandered around the vendors, we bought a half bottle of champagne. The area was getting much busier, and we had seen nearly everything so decided to call it a day instead of waiting around for the auction. I did try to reserve a couple of plants in the Great Pavilion, but they were spoken for. This always happens to me, and I must have good taste.

My tips for visiting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show are to arrive early to beat the majority of the crowds and to see the show gardens before they get too busy. Get the guide beforehand and decide which route you want to take. Also, always have your guide with you and watch it carefully; I had someone walk off with mine. The sellers that sell the guides told me that people just try to take them for free. They are £10.00 a pop at the time of writing this, so I was down £10.00 when someone took mine. Also, the queues for the toilets can be very long, particularly around lunch time, so plan ahead if you need to go.

Food and drink can be purchased on site, but it is very expensive and the food that I had was not good quality. I went to Thames View for an early lunch at about 11:30 to avoid the crowds, and the service was also appalling. It was so appalling that different people in the queues around me (I had to go to two queues to get two different items) were joking about how bad it was and how some staff just stood around, would not make eye contact, and would ignore serving. Picnics can be brought, and there is ample space on the grass inside to eat for a fraction of the cost; you could even sit near the bandstand and listen to live music while eating.

If visiting on the Saturday, some of the exhibitors do reserve plants for the big sell off. Reserving seems to be quite popular, and if you really want something specific, it is the way to go. However, the best bargains are probably made when turning up for the auctions instead of making a reservation for something where the price is determined by the exhibitor.

If you have any additional tips, include them in the comments below.