All The Kings Men
‘All The King’s Men’ Sculpture commission, Shrewsbury 2005.
Site: Overstone, off Morris Close, Harlescott, Shrewsbury
Title: ‘The King’s Table’
In 2005 we were awarded a commission to create a public sculpture, which was to be one of six new sculptures forming a walk through Harlescott Grange, Shrewsbury. The project called ‘All The Kings Men’ was to bring awareness to the Harlescott Grange area’s significance as the site of King Henry’s camp before the Battle of Shrewsbury in July 1403. Associated with this was the stimulus for people to ‘walk the trail’ on a regular health related basis. ‘Through the Doorway to Healthy Living’, a local ‘not for profit’ community health based organisation, was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to realise the project.
The six sculptures are linked by interactive interpretation and way markers and each sculpture interprets a particular theme. ‘Landscape and Topography’, ‘Divided loyalties’, ‘Provisioning’, ‘Preparing for Battle’, ‘Negotiation’, and ‘Death, Disposal and Recovering the Wounded’.
The participation of the local community in the early design phase of each sculpture was a key process and there was a series of facilitated workshops lead by the artists, to enable this. Again, making the link between the past and the present was crucial. On the trail’s completion there was a celebratory opening procession involving local people, schools, and the artists.
Our sculpture was based on the theme of ‘provisioning’ and we created a large round ‘King’s Table’, which also functions as a seat and a planter for a tree. Local school children helped make hundreds of porcelain pebbles, which were incorporated into the surface decoration of the table resembling place settings. They also made ‘medieval plates, bowls and beakers’ for use on the ‘King’s Table’. As our theme was ‘provisioning’, and particularly focussing on the provisioning of food, we were also commissioned to build a simple working bread oven, which we built on site and fired during the opening celebration in which we cooked fresh bread pizzas for the public.
See: www.allthekingsmen.ik.com
The King's Table -
From installation to enjoyment!
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A sketch of the planned 'King's Table'
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Shaping the clay wall
of bricks the quick way...
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Ruth then refining the
shape more gently
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The fully shaped outer circle
of the King's Table
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Huw hammers the inscription
on to the outer circle
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Ruth and Huw working on the inscriptions
(all the bricks have now been numbered)
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A close up of the inscription
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Everyone lends a hand to
make the bricks needed
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Huw makes one of the 'plate' holes
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Preparing the bricks to be rebuilt on site
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Local school children help make
the balls that form the 'plates'
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Art is fun! An unusual way of flattening
the balls to form the plates
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the King's Table from design to creation
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The site prepared and awaiting
the concrete and sculpture installation
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The concrete arrives
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The sculpture awaits being rebuilt
like a giant jigsaw
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The reassembly process begins...
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...but building a wall with so many 'helpers'
sitting on it goes slowly
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The inner supporting
structure is built
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above: Huw gets help with the 'grouting'
from local children
right: the children also lent a hand
cleaning the sculpture
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Local children help out with
planting the centrepiece...
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...and keep it watered.
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Above and right: local children start to
enjoy exploring their sculpture
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