Dominic Clare

South Ward Neighbourhood Management Partnership.

Three Flying Ducks and Three Seeds.

My inspiration for the South Ward – Weston-super-Mare project comes from the history of the ‘place’, local stories and forms in nature.

For this commission in Weston with the brief title ‘Revealing the Hidden’ I have worked on two different themes. Firstly, the idea for the Three Flying Ducks originated from the poem ‘Bournville’ by Peter Cann:

“The ducks on the Rhyne can’t be seen from here but I know they’re there. They’re always there among all the footballs and drowning bikes”

I used silhouette images of ducks coming in to land showing the sequence of wing flapping, with the plasma cut stainless steel reflecting the changing light of the weathers mood. The sculptures also relate to the three flying ducks people often put on their sitting room walls.

Secondly, for the wooden millstones linking Byron Rec and the railway bridge I used a series of massive seeds that were based on plants that grow on the Rhynes, the Meadowsweet flower, Devils Bit Scabious flower and Alder tree. Being small seeds they are often overlooked, so I wanted to make them large to reveal them. I have used oak for all three pieces as it is a durable tough wood.

At the start of the project I made the ‘Alder Cone’ on site where it is installed. I held a presentation and workshop at the local school and the children came to watch me at work with the chainsaw. This enabled the public and local residents to feel a part of the project, see it happening, ask questions and ultimately enjoy the outcome.