EPIC River Project - Feature Wood Carvings
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The carved sculptures refer to the history, mythology and wildlife at
the site and are intended to help provide focus and identity.
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Three feature woodcarvings were created for the site between January
2020 and May 2021 when they were installed on site. Each is carved in
green (unseasoned) oak. They were designed early in 2020. The
designs evolved from the research and
community phase of the project during 2019.
The oak was delivered in April 2020 during the first Covid lockdown. Each
has taken 4 or 5 months and has been created in parallel to the events of
this most difficult year.
They have represented hope for myself as an artist and maybe now they represent
hope for the future of the EPIC site.
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The first oak feature carving was complete 6th July 2020
It is called Teaching the Sompting Fishermen
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In the distant past Sompting was under the sea and fishing would have taken place this
far inland
 In the church, which is visible from this location, is a stone-carved
sculpture of St Wilfrid. St Wilfrid was a bishop who arrived in
Sussex via Selsea. He wanted to convert the local people to
Christianity and found that teaching them something more practical
than religion was a way of gaining their trust. He taught them
fishing and so, legend has it, Christianity came to the Saxons in
Sussex
The sculpture is in a boat shape with water lapping at the back.
The Bishop is represented by a crozier (staff) coming from the fishing net
(or is it something more fishy?)
In 12th - 14th centuries the Knights Templar Crusaders ran the
Sompting church and funded two chapels. They were talked about several
times in the workshops by local people. I have read that people believe
that these Knights guard their property in
death and that they still have a presence in the churchyard here.
I have represented them in the form of a Maltese cross.
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The river is behind the sculpture in this view
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The Water Bench is to the left in the distance and the river to the right
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The second oak feature sculpture was completed late in December 2020
It is called Flying Predators
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This carving is about eating and being eaten. Populations of creatures and plants
balance themselves out in this way even if it can seem a very cruel
process. The flying predator here is a barn owl but represents all flying
predators, including herons, bats, kingfishers, dragonflies, which are
attracted to the environment of the river.
The whole sculpture shape is a feather, the plants at the bottom are
arrowheads and on the back stylized iris leaves. There are water
ripples all round the form of the sculpture.
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On the back of the Flying Predator carving is a wheel showing some victims
that make up the diet of flying creatures
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Each image represents a type more than their exact species, but what is shown here
is -
clockwise from the top:
water plantain, cinnabar moth caterpillar, frog tadpole, harvest mouse, burnet
moth, frog, damsel fly, perch
We saw this caterpillar in an early visit, the perch
arrived with the first flow of water, water plantain moved in very early
(I took photos to identify it)
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The third feature carving is
River Life Force
it was finally finished on site in May 2021
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I often represent the force of nature as a mythological creature.
Here the force of water flowing from chalk Downland on to form rivers,
springs and puddles is represented as the Knucker or water dragon which has been
much talked about during the project.
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Knuckers
are watery dragons that live in deep springs that rise in flat areas of
the chalk landscape, particularly in Sussex.
There is a ‘knucker hole’ spring very close to this new river,
which I have seen some time ago. Although
it is quite small, the water is so deep that you cannot see the bottom and
if you look in, it seems to pull you down.
I see the knucker as a life force and guardian of the water source
as well as a threat. Much as
nature can be cruel to find a positive balance
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Other creatures that appear on this sculpture are mostly self explanatory but the eels
are here as real ones arrived very early in the river project. They
eat eggs which are a good shape for carving. I experimented with
ripple patterns again here. Repeating but organically changing
pattern can work well in carving.
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Click here for pictures of the
carvings in progress at the studio.
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