The Industrial Movement! - 'Unity' - Caledon - 2015

Groundworks and Installation

Installation of the 'Unity' sculpture began last week with the preparation of the groundwork's for the foundations on the new site adjacent to the old mill at Caledon on Mill St.
The 2 ton stones then made the journey across the boarder into the north on Friday, ready for their final and permanent fixings.
All 14 bronzes would also be fixed to one of the stones in a specific order decided by members of the Caledon Regeneration Partnership which best shows the cycle of their built and shared heritage.

Caledon's History in Bronze

Casting took place at Belfast Met College lead by Ken Barr, using the Sand Casting process. Once the bronze had cooled and been removed from the boxes the tiles had to be cleaned with any burr or feathering removed ready for patination

 

Set Up in Stradbally

Working on the two large cogs in the stone yard in Stradbally, Co. Laois. The 14 pockets have been cut out for the bronze tiles and both stones have been turned, ready for the final surface finish. There is still lots to do before the delivery to site in a few weeks time.

Inside and Out!

Getting to work on the 14 pockets for the Bronze tiles along with a lot of grinding and polishing the stones to bring out that beautiful Kilkenny luster. First job though however is to get set up inside!

The Right Tools For The Job.

Packing and sorting some tools for a trip to Kilkenny, Ireland to finish off the carving of the two cogs before they get delivered to Caledon. The majority of the work left will include very little carving and a lot of grinding and polishing!!

Its always a great opportunity to go and work in the stone yard and quarry along side the stone workers who work with the stone in its place of origin. I always learn so much on these occasions and am grateful for Niall at McKeon Stone for the opportunity. I have the dilemma of taking more tools than I may actually need, especially ones I am so comfortable using, but as always on budget airlines I don't want to get hammered on the baggage, literally!! The main essentials required will definatley have to include the obligatory wet weather gear!!

Community Consultation with The Caledon Regeneration Partnership

I have been meeting with members of The Caledon Regeneration Partnership to obtain their views and ideas that relate to the History and Heritage of the town with the intention of producing a variety of bronze tiles that will be incorporated into the stone sculpture. Both William Beattie and Sandra Mortimer have been extremely successful in working with the extended community of Caledon to collate all the historical and factual information that the community believe have an important part to play in the legacy of the town.
I have worked directly form postcards, book cuttings, maps and archived images gathered and donated to create a variety of 10 cm x 10 cm plaster tiles which will be the patterns for casting. Below are some examples of the work in progress.

Wheels in Motion

The right dimension of slab has been found for the first cog! The heavy stone is lifted onto the table for the first time and the circular outer shape is cut out using the water saw. You can see the beautiful bedding and fossil lines running through the stone when it's wet.

Things are starting to take shape! After several days of cutting and grinding the spokes of the cog and the central hole have been core drilled out, making the design complete. There is still a lot of hand finishing, sanding and filing to do first before the cog will be fully complete. There is a great industrial presence and feel to the stone seeing it lying on the ground. You could almost be forgiven thinking that it may have once belonged in some huge Mill in Ireland!.

Carving on Churchill

Wednesday saw an early start to the day so the van had been loaded up the night before. All the stone blocks had been prepared and cut to size and all the hand tools had been sharpened and sorted for the carving workshop at Churchill Primary School in Caledon.

It was a real delight to come to such a wonderful school, in such beautiful surroundings and on such a beautiful sunny day. 

When I arrived I was meet with 24 very enthusiastic children and supportive staff that certainly made me feel very welcome.

The first part of the morning involved giving a short talk and presentation to the children on my work as a sculptor. It was also a great opportunity to show images of the 'Unity' Public Art Project and talk about the design and methods I will be using to create the large stone cogs.

I had brought with me a variety of imagery and got the children to pin it up on boards and arrange it into themes relating to the Industrial Heritage of Caledon as well as images of architectural features within the town and agricultural links to the area. From this stimulus the children then discussed and developed their ideas ready to make a small drawing. Once their drawings had been created we enlarged a section of the sketch onto a square page the same size of their carving block. The intention was to have a bold and simple design that would be symbolic of one of our themes.

Once outside the children listened attentively as I delivered a very important Health and Safety demonstration on using the tools before getting down to drawing on the stone and picking up their mallets and chisels.

Without any hesitation everyone got straight down to work. They were all naturals!

The art of low relief carving!

Everyone was working so hard and it was great to hear 24 hammers beating away and the sound of everyone giving each other encouragement, sharing their new ways of working and how their designs were developing.

Paying close attention to accurately carving what has been drawn.

A wall of twenty four relief carvings skillfully carved by all the Yr 6 Pupils at Churchill Primary School. We had a real variety of imagery from tools and spanners, stone bridges and farm animals to flowers, dresses and a violin. 

The artists and their masterpieces!

A massive thank you for the support and assistance on the day from Mrs Cartmill, Mrs Black and the Artist Eleanor Wheeler who is currently working on a Public Art Project with the Community of Middletown.

Stone Carving Workshop at Churchill P.S.

On the 22^nd April 2015 I will be delivering a stone - carving lesson to a class of Yr6 pupils at Churchill Primary School, Caledon. Twenty four pupils will be creating their very own ‘bas – relief’ carving using tools and techniques similar to those used by myself in the carving of the ‘Caledon Cogs’ sculpture.

The pupils will create some bold, simple yet strong preliminary drawings based around the theme of the ‘River Blackwater’ and the ‘Industrial Heritage of Caledon’. Images of canal boats, horses and industrial tools and machinery may be the kind of ideas carved. The images will then be transferred on to the stone blocks for carving and displayed in an arrangement of six columns.

The experience for all the pupils is not only about encouraging them to discover new methods of mark making through the use of tools and techniques but also exploring the idea of linking aspects of local history to their immediate environment both past and present.

A short presentation will also given the pupils and teachers at Churchill P.S. regarding the ‘Unity’ Public Art Project.

 East Farleigh Primary School, Kent. Stone Carving Workshop with Yr 5 and 6 pupils.

Public Presentation - Meet the Artist!

From personal experience the best way to generate some interest in a public art project is by holding a presentation evening where members of the local community can meet the selected artist and view the proposed artwork. This kind of event can be very rewarding for both the artist and the local community as it opens debate while allowing residents to contribute ideas and suggestions that may feed into the overall design of the sculpture. On this occasion and at an event like this I have collaborated with two other artists working on a similar Public Art project for the nearby town of Middletown, they are Alan Cargo and Eleanor Wheeler.

On Tuesday the 4th March 2015, Alan and Eleanor delivered their presentation for their proposed artwork for Middletown. Afterwards, and after a few technical delays I was able to show my proposal for Caledon and take questions on the concept and design. On the following Wednesday 5th March we travelled up the road to Caledon to meet and present our ideas again for both sculpture projects.

Having this opportunity to discuss historical details and share stories about the people, buildings and the town’s future aspirations was priceless. As a result several themes developed regarding the development of small bronze tiles that could be incorporated into the sculpture. A select few residents have taken the baton and are in search of some archival postcards and photos that relate to themes of agriculture, architecture, the Ulster Canal and Caledon's Industrial Heritage.
The intention is that form holding another community workshop, these images and ideas can be transferred into plaster tiles and then cast in bronze to preserve the legacy of the town.