30 January 2012
Cambridge City Council is delighted to announce that an exhibition of the final designs for the artwork at Mill Road Cemetery by the artist Gordon Young will be held in the council’s Customer Service Centre at Mandela House from 30 January 30–3 February, and also in the Salvation Army shop on Mill Road from 6–10 February.
Gordon’s concept idea for the project was based on birdsong and included text, which translates it. Over the last 12 months, Gordon has undertaken research combined with public engagement to inform the design of the final artworks.
Gordon Young writes: “On visiting the cemetery the sense of tranquility and peace is apparent. I wanted to create something that helped to highlight this aspect of the space.
“I want the artworks to encourage the local residents of Cambridge to take time out of their busy schedules, stroll or sit down amongst the greenery at Mill Road Cemetery and just listen to the birds. Bird song has been credited with having a soothing effect on our souls and Mill Road Cemetery is full of birds. The art works are designed to bring our attention to this natural and wonderful phenomenon.”
A set of six sculptural columns and one bench is proposed. Each of the columns will be sculpted to provide elements to encourage feeding or perching points for the birds. Also they will be carved to provide birds with opportunity to bathe or drink. Each work of art will feature a text to pay tribute to a particular species of avian residents of the cemetery.
Gordon has been offered the opportunity to make use of the wood from the red cedar from the Holy Trinity churchyard within the art project, should it be feasible to do so. He is proposing to use the wood to carve a bench.
Rod Cantrill, Executive Councillor for Arts, Sport and Public Places, said: “We are delighted to have the nationally renowned artist Gordon Young working in Cambridge in a special site like Mill Road Cemetery. Focusing on the theme of bird song, the project reflects the diversity of the site as both an important green space and cemetery.”
The artist Gordon Young has recently completed the Comedy Carpet project in Blackpool, which has been met with international acclaim.
This commission is funded from S106 developer contributions, which cannot be spent on anything else other than for the commissioning of new public artworks.
Further details are available on the city council website.
