Willow Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willow Man is a large outdoor sculpture by Serena de la Hey, situated in a field by the M5 motorway near Bridgwater in Somerset, south west England. It stands 40 feet (12 m), made of willow withies on a steel frame.
Willow Man was commissioned by South West Arts, for the Year of the Artist 2000, and was unveiled in September 2000.[1] It marks the millennium and celebrates the role of willow in the ecology and craft tradition of the Somerset Levels.
In an overt show of extreme opinion concerning the Willow Man sculpture, the first sculpture was burnt down in an arson attack on 8 May 2001,[2] and was rebuilt by the same artist in October 2001.[3] As a precaution against further attacks, a moat was excavated around the sculpture.
A notable landmark, the sculpture is also popularly known as "Withy Man", or "Angel of the South" in reference to Antony Gormley's sculpture Angel of the North (although the name Angel of the South is now in more common usage as the official title for a colossal sculpture in Ebbsfleet).
On September 4, 2006, it was decided that the Willow man was going to get a "£20,000 hair cut".[4] Maintenance took place in that month. The original artist, Serena de la Hey said at the time she thought that many local birds have been using the material for their nests. When the artist saw her sculpture she was 'shocked to see the wear and tear'.
[edit] References
- ^ 40ft sculpture unveiled in Somerset. BBC News (26 September 2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ Willow Man burnt in arson attack. BBC News (8 May 2001). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ Willow man rises from ashes. BBC News (19 October 2001). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ Willow man gets £20,000 haircut. BBC News (4 September 2006). Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
