Sculpture unveiled to open new art space in Camberwell – South London News

A street advertising company has unveiled a new sculpture and launched a new public arts space.

It is hoped that Dancing in the Shadow of Henry will transform Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, into a new, permanent pocket sculpture garden.

Sarah Staton, artist, curator and head of sculpture at the Royal College of Art (RCA), unveiled her recent work, The Chicken and the Egg, there today.

The new public arts space in Camberwell New Road (Picture: BUILDHOLLYWOOD)

Dancing in the Shadow of Henry is part of the ongoing Your Space Or Mine scheme, giving artists across the UK a platform to present their work outdoors.

The piece reflects on famous English artist Henry Moore’s Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 3, which sits in the nearby Brandon Estate, just south of Kennington Park.

Ms Staton, who is known for her playful public commissions, said: “The Chicken and the Egg is such a playful and reliable conundrum that anchors us back in time via the ceaseless continuum of generational links.

“Opening Dancing in the Shadow of Henry, this chicken and egg is like yin and yang, two parts of a whole, reciprocal and balanced.

“But talking of ‘dancing’, what is going on here with this chicken and this egg? Is this chicken dancing on that egg? Is that egg in danger of slipping right off its plinth?

“What on earth is going on, and how on earth might we bring some balance back here?”

Surrounding the sculpture, the grounds have been re-modelled by gardener David Doherty.

Inspired by the famous gardens of Henry Moore Studios in Perry Green, Hertfordshire, Mr Doherty has used perennial and evergreen plants such as ivy, laurel, and sea buckthorn, as well as an underplanting of bulbs to create clusters of colour for the spring and summer months.

As the project’s lead artist and curator, Ms Stanton will select further work from artists in the area and graduate students from the RCA to be displayed on the plinth, with a six month turnaround.

She said: “Contemplative sculpture and the hectic energy of a busy arterial London road don’t often meet directly in dialogue, but Dancing in the Shadow of Henry proposes just such an interaction.

“The sculptures you will find in Dancing in the Shadow of Henry manifest as grass root, street-side, people-friendly, human-scale propositions.”

Those commissioned as part of Dancing in the Shadow of Henry will also be working with children from St John the Divine Primary School, Camberwell to create artist-led community activities that celebrate multi-sensory delight and creativity.

Pictured top: Chicken and Egg by Sarah Sataton (Picture: BUILDHOLLYWOOD)