I am from Stockport, and my husband Nick is from Liverpool. When travelling on the motorway between the two places that we grew up we pass by 'Dream'. A 20m high concrete sculpture, rising from the hills at St Helens. We always look out for it, and depending on weather and trees, we usually see it. It's a landmark. One that 100,000 cars a day pass by, maybe they look at it too, and maybe they don't. Although it's been designed to rival the Angel of the North. I'm not sure it has captivated audiences in quite the same way, not least because they struggle to notice it.
The artist who designed it, Jaume Plensa stated "When I first came to the site I immediately thought something coming out of the earth was needed. I decided to do a head of a nine-year-old girl which is representing this idea of the future. It's unique."[
It's unique but even at 20m it's too small! It lacks real impact for me. It doesn't pack a punch! It could have been so much more imposing and relevant but I find it rather too 'dreamy' .
There is strong support for it from the mining community though. Former miners had wanted something poignant to be erected in the place of the former coal mine. "In 20 years' time people wouldn't have remembered what this place was. Now they are going to come and ask questions about it." As some kind of memorial to the miners work and lifestyles I suppose the sculpture is a success. It marks the place, in the same way a tom-cat sprays its territory.
No comments:
Post a Comment