A Sculpture for Cornwall

‘The Fisher King’

Despite its great creative heritage Cornwall does not have a large signature sculpture; I hope this proposal will change that.

The Fisher King is a 40 foot tall sculpture, it represents all that is great about Cornwall. The Strength, pride and dignity of its people and the bounty that is reaped from land and sea. Within its design it portrays an element of engineering inspired by massive beam engines which pumped water from the Cornish Tin Mines in the early 1900’s.

I would like to see this proposed sculpture on the Cornwall side of the border between Devon and Cornwall.  It could represent the gateway to Cornwall – a monumental sculpture,  It would represent an abstract human form under great strain; pulling laden fishing lines,  Connected to the lines will are items of various forms created from hammered and polished aluminium. I intend to instigate a competition  for schools around Cornwall to design of these forms based on the theme “The Bounty of Cornwall”, I intend to hold creative days within the short-listed schools to promote and work on this idea thus giving the local community a sense of ownership to the sculpture.

The fishing line is integral to the work structurally as an anchor and stabiliser. The line will be anchored in concrete at each end and between the Fisher King’s feet. The line is also essential in the narrative; it can be seen to be drawing out the bounty from the land and the water. Cornwall’s heritage in agriculture, fishing, tin and copper mining along with slate and granite quarrying lends itself perfectly to this interpretation. The sculpture will be facing into Cornwall watching over his land and his people; it also signifies that Cornwall’s future lies within itself not with handouts from Europe.  The Cornish people are hard-working and proud I want them to be proud of this sculpture; I want it to mean something to them and to be relevant to all of them.
The Fisher King also continues a rich Cornish tradition, feeding off the myths and legends of the Giants of the land roaming the untamed countryside.

Material:

The material is traditionally used flat and is made up of 50mm thick honeycombed and laminated panels. It is unbelievably strong and more usually associated with the construction of luxury, ocean-going yachts;  it offers great potential to create large scale structures that combine (paradoxically) fluidity and rigidity.  Being incredibly light and yet of enormous strength,  Its strength lends itself to larger pieces and yet it is possible to capture flow and movement, unlike any other material.

This proposal is a copyright of Richard Austin

Sculpture Workshop
18 Trenant Ind Est, Wadebridge
Cornwall. PL27 6HB
01208 816370
richard@sculptureworkshop.co.uk