Sculpture Vulture - Loughborough

The Watchers by Lynn Chadwick

Aftermath by Ian Tricker
Self Portrait with FED Camera.

Other than capturing real live humans at work and play, there can be few better photographic subjects available to us than Architecture and Art. More specifically for me it’s where the two disciplines collide in Contemporary Abstract Sculpture, that more visually interesting, and often challenging offspring of Figurative Sculpture which doesn't have quite the same appeal as a photographic subject for me. Happily there’s quite a lot of contemporary sculpture about if you take the trouble to look for it, which is of course what we aim to do when we carry a camera.

I know from my own experience that much of the Civic Art which started to appear in our urban landscape in the early 20th century is now practically ‘invisible’ to us. By which I mean that it's now so much a part of the everyday fabric of our busy lives that we rarely ‘see’ it, at least not in the way that the artists and their benefactors would have envisaged when their works were originally unveiled. I've walked past numerous sculptures over the years without really seeing them, hidden in plain view, just another piece of street furniture to navigate. Social Media and Phone Cameras have changed this for many of us. We're all 'Content Providers' now, and as such we're all finely attuned to, and eager to record the unusual and interesting in everyday life.

House Martin by Willi Soukop
'You Are Here'

The 'abstract' is everywhere of course, in the design and shape of Buildings and Highways, Signs and Infrastructure. But for the consciously designed 'abstraction' of sculptural art it's urban centres that are usually the best hunting grounds. Whilst Villages and Market Towns are certainly not sculpture-free, it's perhaps safe to say that their communities may not be quite as open to the challenge of difficult artworks as their City neighbours might be...

If there's one location that practically guarantees space for contemporary sculptural art, it's our many seats of learning. Leicestershire schools and colleges are particularly blessed with works of contemporary art thanks to a programme of acquisition in the 1950's and 60's pioneered by Stewart Mason of the Leicestershire Education Authority. Loughborough University in particular is littered with modern sculpture, so much so that it warrants its own map in Terry Cavanagh and Alison Yarrington's essential book on the subject, Public Sculpture of Leicestershire & Rutland (Liverpool University Press, 2000).

This (slightly out of date) map would be my guide on a day wandering around the campus, which is refreshingly open to all-comers even during term time. Wear sturdy footwear though, I did a few miles and didn't even get to see all of the sculptures. There are also a handful of interesting sculptures across the road in the Loughborough College grounds, though not nearly as easy to view, and of course Loughborough Town itself is well served with art, and for this you could do no better than following this extensive Sculpture Trail on the Lynn About Loughborough blog.

Abstract by Bernard Schottlander
These three leaning steel scrolls or cylinders got more interesting as a photographic subject the closer in I got, highlighting the colour rather than the form. Easter Eggs for a hunt were being deposited inside by students when I took this, hence the inclusion of a real live person.

UK Swatch Olympic Art Clock by Ron Arad
I can't say I was particularly taken with this sculpture, and yet this is one of my favourite images from the day. The colours are almost pastel, and with a nice grain, giving something of an album cover feel to it. 

Pulse by Paul Wager
A substantial steel edifice at a crossroads, a powerful monochrome industrial form that contrasts well with these colourful eggs, deposited by students for the Easter Egg Hunt that encompassed many of the sculptures on campus. 

Per Saeculi Quartum by Michael Dan Archer
A stone sculpture in four segments formed the bulk of this sculpture, but I concentrated on the geometric bronze mounted on top, the more interesting shape which contrasted nicely with the blue sky. 

The Watchers by Lynn Chadwick
The one sculpture on the campus that I simply had to see was The Watchers. One of three examples of this work, the others are in Denmark and London. With building work going on nearby it wasn't easy capturing an interesting view of these figures. This is from the rear with the striking roof of the Edward Herbert Building 'floating' behind, and branches of the huge Cedar of Lebanon tree in the foreground.

Brockington Building Figurative Reliefs, (sculptor unknown)
More of an architectural photograph than straight record of the three reliefs, for information the top one shows figures running and swimming, the middle relief depicts figures engaged in debate and study, this lower one woodwork and metalwork.

Truth, Labour and Knowledge by Emlyn Budds
Just the space-age pinnacle of this complex stone structure which features four bronze reliefs around the pedestal, but the one photo I took of these fell foul of the minimum focal distance so was only partially in focus.

Towers Hall (designed by Gollers Melvin Ward Architects)
Student accommodation from the glorious 60's. A local landmark that simply has to be photographed, but apparently this building has an uncertain future.

 

National Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine (Broadway Malyan Architects)
I was hoping to catch someone walking through this area because there's nothing like a human to give a sense of scale, but sadly not.

Aftermath by Ian Tricker
During graduation ceremonies this highly reflective sculpture is designed to become a fountain. The self portrait with FED camera above was the principal subject here, one of thousands of unique reflections available to the photographer.

The Signaler by John Atkin (Rushes Retail Park, Loughborough)
This sculpture is made with Cor Ten steel which weathers uniquely dependant on local atmospheric conditions, the colour and texture of the metal is therefore my subject, contrasting (or reacting?) with the nearby Tesco Store.