Commission by Urban Wilderness for the town centre on Longton, Stoke on Trent. Will be shown in the town centre in January.
Longton, Stoke on Trent, UK is a working class town, that is currently going through regeneration.
Once an industrial town, producing some of the worlds best pottery. Now the town is home to a number of arcades, amusement shops, betting shops, charity shops and concrete ghosts of its past success. There's a funny twist and irony of the new modern shops that offer better riches to it's customer to that of the images on the china ware portraying romantic landscapes. Theres a conflict between the two, the romantic paintings and beautiful architecture depicting on the Chinaware to the brutal 1940-60s buildings that form the town centre. The work when placed in the situ will reinforce this.
A single pilar and fallen stone nod towards Longton's history imagery that were depicted on some Aynsley Pottery, a romantic landscape. This imaginary is a symbolism that offers ‘hope’. This is further portrayed in the sculpture with a singular stone that by rights should of fallen to the ground with the rest of the stones lying in a ruin. It has no right to be there! Gravity should of done it's thing. The Robin on the stonework in a keystone, adding further symbolise of hope, rebirth, and renewal.
It is hope that the town with grow and start to thrive with more regeneration.
A photo shoot of the work in progress was taken a Park Hall Country Park.
Photos by Urban Wilderness.
