It has taken the best part of 18 months to get to this point but I am delighted to say that the coloured glass Naval Service Memorial was finally installed this week at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The memorial sculpture which consists of 13 panels of coloured glass, a carved Kilkenny Limestone figure and a white 12m x 8m granite terrace has gradually been taking shape at the arboretum over the last few weeks, culminating with the installation of the glass and the stone figure. The figure was carved at my workshop while the glass was beautifully manufactured by Proto Studios in Wiltshire. We were very fortunate that the weather was fantastic on the day of the installation, it allowed us a sneak preview of the piece before it is unveiled and dedicated by Prince Michael of Kent this Sunday. The colours of the glass, mainly blues taken from the 5 Oceans around the world are quite stunning and the reflected shadows, although short at this time year, create a sea of colour across the white granite terrace. At other times of the year these shadows will stretch right across the terrace and I am really looking forward to seeing how the shapes of the shadows change throughout the year. If you do visit the memorial, you may also be fortunate to catch a glimpse of the warship which is reflected onto the terrace for a short time every day (weather permitting) by the silhouette of the glass. The carved figure is that of a sailor, no rank or gender, faces west, head bowed in respect of his/her shipmates.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Royal Naval Association for sharing my vision for this memorial sculpture and for providing help when needed, to Proto Studios for the production and installation of the brilliant glass panels and finally to Perfitts who were so incredibly meticulous in preparing the granite terrace ready for the installation of the memorial.
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