Remembering Hansel and Gretel
December 9, 2022
Foraging in Arnos Vale
March 26, 2023
Not every gravestone, monument or marker in the cemetery was chosen by loved one. We are privileged to care for four pieces of art that are part of the collection of Lettering Arts Trust and they are cared for and displayed in the landscape.
Flame by Ian Cotton can be found in Garden of Rest number 1 marking the place where cremated ashes of loved ones are scattered and buried.
Stone Ring by David Crowe can be found Garden of Rest number 2 as a focal point for those who are remembered in the garden.
Standing Stone: Hidden Places by Celia Kilner can be found in Coombe Bottom on the unmarked graves of miners who died in a pit accident.
Abundance by Alyosha Moeran can be found in the Spielman Atrium cafe cascading down the stairs.
Alyosha Moeran – Abundance
Alyosha says -'The idea for this piece came from being caught in a storm of whirling sycamore seeds one autumn. I wanted to convey a sense of weightlessness in the sculpture; for the material to defy gravity and appear to float for a moment, and capture the essence of the sycamore seeds’ spiral fall in the breeze. I wanted to create a series of sculptures to convey that feeling of poise and fragility and also to suggest the cyclical nature and delicate balance between life and death. I have tried to do this in the way I have treated the material by paring the slate down to its bare minimum and then piercing its surface. The finished pieces symbolise the shortening of days and the promise of abundance in the spring.'
Abundance by Alyosha Moeran
Celia Kilner – Standing Stone: Hidden Places
Happy are those who see beauty in hidden places where others see none.
Celia says -'I have chosen this text as, particularly in a garden, it is easy to overlook visual joys that are less obvious than those laid out for us; and the unconsidered, hidden things add to a feeling of contentment with life if we stay aware and are ready to see.'
Celia Kilner – Standing Stone: Hidden Places
Iain Cotton - Flame
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil...
These words are from ‘God’s Grandeur’ by the Jesuit poet priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins.
He was writing about his 19th century world struggling under the effects of industrialisation. He explores themes of God’s glory in creation, the destructive power of industry, and hope for a new dawn in our relationships with the natural world: themes which have acquired greater urgency in our own time.
Ian says - 'I particularly like these first two lines, which express something of the glory, wonder and animated energy we experience in the natural world. It has been great to have an opportunity to express the power of these words in a very sculptural way and to enjoy the challenge of creating letters, which flow around the form, and convey the energy of the words. I like to think that this sculpture would make a fitting tribute to all those who work for the protection of the earth, using words which express the present glory, and a future promise for both the earth and ourselves.'
Flame by Ian Cotton
David Crowe – Stone Ring
David says - 'The constant adjustment that exists between Man and his environment, one influencing the other, has always been an ongoing partnership. The continuous loop of lettering reinforces this idea of a cycle that exists between us and our surroundings. Both the stone and the copper lettering will age and change, while it is gradually being reclaimed by nature. Tooling the stone with a pattern and making the surface rough, I hope will encourage this process – the emphasis being on how this reclamation can be beautiful and add to the overall feel of the piece.'
David Crowe – Stone Ring
The sculptures are free to visit and the cemetery is open 9-5pm every day. Check the website for further visiting information including parking and public transport. Our map is free to pick up in the cemetery and will provide rough locations for these beautiful pieces. You can also download a copy.
We look forward to welcoming you soon. Do check out the cafe, visitor centre and our wonderful 45 acre landscape as part of your visit.
