Public Art in Ipswich

• By Linda Thomas
• 2007
• Portland stone, 197x122x30cms
• Christchurch Park

This piece of stone sculpture was commissioned by Ipswich Borough Council and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the artist and Wood for Stone
Fabricator: Wood for Stone, (Mistley).

It is an elegant white marker with a tapered 'eye' to the top right, which reflects the pattern of light and shade from the nearby trees.

The sculpture is the artist's response to the restoration of Christchurch Park. There were many changes happening across the park in 2007 including a lot of disruption; not all of which was welcomed. This piece responds to the complexities of that restoration of the traditional and historic, while embracing the needs of people who use the park today.

Inspired by the beautiful windows in the main entrance to Christchurch Mansion; the artist decided to take the window into the park. The artwork contrasts people with the landscape, traditional with contemporary and new with old.

The sculpture provides a constantly running live video showing in one direction a traditional rolling landscape and in the other the fun and innocence of children at play.

The artwork has the dimensions of the 'golden ratio' and is carved out of a single piece of Portland stone (Bowers Basebed) quarried from Portland in Dorset. It is a material which is tactile encouraging the viewer to fully interact with the piece.

Linda Thomas is a Suffolk based artist. She graduated with a BA (Hons) Fine Art at Suffolk School of Arts in 2007 and has worked in stone, steel and paint. This work was produced as part of Linda's studies at UCS and was the result of a collaborative project in her third year of studies. Growing up in Lincolnshire she spent many hours with her grandfather a sculptor and stone mason which kindled her life-long attraction to 3D work. Public art interests Linda in particular because of its fusing of public, artist and place.

Other Public Art nearby: The Town Centre and Christchurch Park.