‘It looks like a deformed zombie’
PUBLIC ASKED FOR FEEDBACK ON ‘HIDEOUS’ STATUE PLAN THAT AIMS TO SHOWCASE HISTORY OF ‘ORDINARY’ PEOPLE IN GWYNEDD
A PROPOSED new sculpture unveiled as part of a city centre facelift has raised eyebrows.
The design for the planned installation in Bangor, Gwynedd - which aims to celebrate the attractions at a nearby museum - has now been put to the public for feedback.
If it gets the go ahead, the artwork will be installed on a grass verge at the side of a footpath between the city’s Storiel Museum and Bible Garden near Bangor Cathedral.
The proposal for the new sculpture comes just a few months after the removal of another piece of art - which came to be known as the infamous ‘Bangor Bogey’ - was removed from the city.
The bronze piece is the brainchild of local artist Llyr Erddyn Davies whose design aims to showcase the history of ‘ordinary’ people who have lived in Gwynedd and North Wales. The current concept is made-up of headdresses and objects from the current collection at Storiel.
Elements included in the design are the Bardsey Crown, worn by the “Kings” of Bardsey Island, the Eisteddfod Crown and, in a nod to Bangor’s famous cathedral, a bishop’s hat.
These hats - all of which take inspiration from artefacts currently on display at Storiel - along with a collection of others, sit upon the sculpture’s human-like trunk, with legs and arms also sprouting from the piece.
The sculpture would be paid for by Storiel who have received money from the Transforming Towns Wales scheme which aims to help redevelop and improve town centres - to fund the project.
Part of the brief of the sculpture aims to highlight the unique exhibition items on show at the Storiel museum.
To do this they have teamed up with local artist Llyr Erddyn Davies to create a design that showcases the history of ordinary people who lived in Gwynedd and North Wales.
The current design is formed from headdresses and objects from the collection in Storiel, which convey the rich layers of Gwynedd’s history.
Initial views on the design have not been favourable, with one Gwynedd resident calling it “hideous”, saying it looks like a “deformed zombie.”