Lynn Chadwick at Salisbury Cathedral & Canary Wharf, London
Thanks to London’s Osborne Samuel Gallery’s generous long-term loan Lynn Chadwick’s Cloaked Figure IX can now be seen in Salisbury Cathedral Close. It is certainly a fitting tribute to the internationally respected sculptor in a year which marks the hundredth anniversary of his birth.
Cloaked Figure IX (from behind) Lynn Chadwick Salisbury Cathedral Close – photo by Ash Mills
Dating from the late 1970s this well-known sculpture is one of Chadwick’s series of standing and walking cloaked figures. The Cathedral’s Visual Arts Advisor Jacquiline Creswell said: ‘For me, Cloaked Figure IX, has enormous presence. She evokes images of cardinals and other ecclesiastic figures as she makes her way majestically toward the huge west doors. It is an implied movement, her enveloping, protective cloak swept behind with her pyramidal head held high, surveying her new surroundings. This life-size entity in the Close will be a new member in our rolling arts programme and we are looking forward to opportunities to use this distinctive sculpture as a focus for community engagement.’
Cloaked Figure IX (frontal) Lynn Chadwick Salisbury Cathedral Close – photo by Ash Mills
As those of you who read my blogs on the Cathedral in June will gather, they are building up a reputation for displaying visual art both inside and out. As well as Cloaked Figure IX you will discover Helaine Blumenfeld’s Angels: Harmony on Choristers’ Green; Elizabeth Frink’s Walking Madonna in the churchyard and Emily Young’s Angel Head in the Cloister garth. I shall certainly try and visit this wonderful place again.
In Canary Wharf’s busy Cabot Square sits Lynn Chadwick’s bronze sculpture ‘Couple on Seat’ and it is no doubt admired by both workers and shoppers as they pass by. From August 19th the statue will be given its own voice as part of the ‘Talking Statues’ project led by Colette Hiller. The Talking Statues initiative animates 35 sculptures in London and Manchester for a year with amusing monologues inspired by the work of art itself.
How does it work? Well you can swipe your smart phones on a nearby tag and then hear the figures “come to life” with monologues that offer a humorous view on the two sides of a marriage. The voices belong to the well-known British comedians and actors Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar and the dialogue is written by Nikesh Shukla, author of Meatspace and Coconut Unlimited.
Canary Wharf has one of the UK’s largest collections of public art with over 65 artworks and sculptures which are all free to view.
Tim Forrest's E & A 