Irwell Sculpture Trail no. 3 – Peel Park Traditional Cache
Irwell Sculpture Trail no. 3 – Peel Park
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The cache is situated within Peel Park, in sight of the
sculptures ‘Monument of the Third Millenium’ and ‘Fabric of
Nature’
The Irwell Valley Sculpture Trail
The Irwell Sculpture Trail was developed along a 30-mile route
through the Irwell Valley formerly known as the Irwell Valley Way.
Following the River from its source on the South Pennine Moors to
where it becomes the Manchester Ship Canal at Salford Quays, the
first sculpture was installed in 1987. Thanks to an Arts Lottery
award in 1996, the project grew, and 30 sculptures were eventually
installed along the route. Unfortunately, some of these have been
destroyed by vandals: one, notably, even before its official
opening. This series of caches has been based on the remaining
sculptures, and has been numbered following the Irwell upstream
from Salford Quays.
The Sculptures – A) The Fabric of Nature
Site: Peel Park, Salford
Sculptor: Julia Hilton
Installed: 17 June 2000
Material: Cast brick; stainless steel, brass; earth and turf
Size: 28mhigh x 32m wide
Description: Earthwork in the shape of a bud and leaf unfurling up
into a double spiral mound, leading to a curved seating area A
series of leaf Images and inscription etched in stainless steel are
set into the brick floor, to the front of a brick seat Inscription
etched on stainless steel panels inset into brick floor:
We are but whirlpools in a river of ever-flowing water
We are not stuff that abides but patterns that perpetuate
themselves
In the mid-1990s Salford city Council began to take action to
restore its inner-city parks, which had suffered from decades of
under funding and neglect. A major plan to redesign and improve
Peel Park was developed by the council and the university of
Salford Public sculpture was recognised as part of these
improvements. As a partner in the Irwell Sculpture trail, Salford
commissioned two sculptures for the park Julia Hilton was appointed
to a residency in 1997 with the aim of collaborating on the design
of the park. Out of discussions with the landscape architect she
developed the idea of an earthwork sculpture that would provide
seating, a play area and more colour to an area of the park - it
included disused tennis courts - that had become an eyesore. The
construction of the work proceeded ahead of the larger redesign of
the park. Hilton's sculpture drew its inspiration from the patterns
of nature, the park's flowerbeds and the nearby river, and, less
obviously, Salford's buildings. She wrote that ‘from above the
earthwork image is like a piece of Victorian textile design
although the initial inspiration for the image came from detailing
on the former education building on Chapel Street which was then
adapted and refined to allow it to work on the site. The central
seating area contained a series of stainless steel panels etched
with Images of the leaves of trees growing in the park.
B) Monument to the Third Millennium
Site: Peel Park, Salford
Sculptor: Adrian Moakes
Installed: 17 June 2000
Material: Galvanized and painted mild steel
Size: Inner cone 5m high x diameter 1.9m
Description: Steel sculpture representing a swirling shoal of fish
swimming upwards through a vortex of water. The outer, spiralling
latticework of 'water' appears to move as one walks around the
sculpture. Following a national competition, Adrian Moakes was
selected to provide a sculpture in Peel Park. He worked on his
ideas with students from the University of Salford during a
three-month residency in 1997. The final work was influenced by its
proximity to the River Irwell which in this part of Salford was
prone to flooding. It had once been rich in wildlife, but
industrial pollution had killed off the fish. The idea of the
sculpture depicting a swirling shoal of fish swimming up through a
vortex of water was to celebrate the river's recent regeneration,
including the reappearance of fish and wildlife. It symbolized 'a
positive attitude to environmental regeneration in the new century
'. A circular seating area was incorporated in the base, from which
the public could view the park.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Haqre envyvatf gb gur yrsg bs n orag fgehg.