Joy for Cannock Chase with new sculpture planned
Artist Keith Harrison will enjoy a Joyride on Cannock Chase thanks to a £30,000 windfall.
He has been given the money to create a huge sculpture in the heart of the Chase which he will call Joyride and hopes to unveil next autumn.
The piece will consist of a clay replica of a Rover 75 scaling a specially constructed rollercoaster style ramp.
Keith has described it as a commentary on the Midlands motor industry, inspired by his upbringing in the Black Country.
He hopes to contribute to a national discussion around how contemporary artists engage with the environment today, presenting forests as a rich and immersive platform for ambitious works.
He said: "The opportunity to realise a project which links the former Rover factory at Longbridge, Birmingham where my mother and grandfather worked and Cannock Chase, a wilderness we visited regularly as a family whilst growing up in the Black Country is immense.
"The work will see the social and environmental impact of the car in forests and the demise of automotive manufacture collide."
Mr Harrison, of West Bromwich, beat off tough competition in the Jerwood Open Forest contest in order to get the £30,000.
Hayley Skipper, of Forestry Commission England, who sat on the judging panel, said: "Keith has demonstrated an uncompromisingly strong artistic vision throughout the development of his proposal."
"We are very much looking forward to working on realising this ambitious project with Keith."
