Final two sculptures for Wakefield’s new £1m art trail revealed

Wakefield Council has been awarded over a million pounds of government funding to deliver free outdoor public art.

The trail will feature pieces created by five leading British artists to go on permanent display.

One of the sculptures, by Andy Holden, is ‘Auguries: Last Calls’.

The work represents the songs of local birds with rapidly declining populations.

Recordings of the bird songs were tuned into 3D waveforms and then cast in metal.

A QR code will be incorporated in the sculpture when it goes on display outside the Wakefield One building so people can listen to each song.

Andy said: “These sculptures will be melancholy, a time capsule of songs that might soon disappear without due care and never be heard again.

“They should act as totems to remind us how fragile our ever-changing relationship with nature is.

“The birds’ songs memorialised as sculptures are songs that few human ears can now hear, but by reading the shape of the sculpture form we can reconstruct the sound in our mind.

“Wakefield was the home of the world’s first recognised nature reserve, created by Charles Waterton at Walton Hall, making Wakefield an apt home for my artwork.”

Michael Graham, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “We’re delighted that Andy has created a piece of artwork that has a direct link to our city’s fascinating history.

“As the birthplace of internationally renowned artists – Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth – and home to the Hepworth Wakefield and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, our district has an amazing heritage of sculpture.

“I know that this new sculpture trail will give a real sense of pride in our fascinating history and heritage and connect key points of the city together.

“The images of the pieces are truly striking and I cannot wait to see them brought to life in our city centre, each with their own story to tell.

“We hope that by bringing public art to life across the streets of our city centre, we can attract even more visitors to our wonderful district.”

Another sculpture featured on the trail is ‘The Source’, by Ro Robertson.

It will be displayed at The Springs, a part of the city centre that was the main source of water in Wakefield until the mid-nineteenth century.

The work will incorporate planters and representations of water flowing.

The three other sculptures forming part of the trail have already been revealed.

An ‘Amazonian Caiman God’, by Jason Wilsher-Mills, will be displayed at the Cathedral precinct.

Halima Cassell’s ‘Gathering’ will be displayed at Wakefield Westgate.

A 3.5m bronze sculpture of stacked spheres, by Annie Morris, will feature outside the West Yorkshire History Centre.

The project is being fully funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The sculptures are expected to be in place by Summer 2023, subject to planning permission.