''Messenger'' is a large

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, UK, created by the Cornish artist

Joseph Hillier Joseph Hillier (born 24 April 1974 in Cornwall) is a British sculptor. His best known works include the ''Messenger_(Plymouth_sculpture), Messenger'', a public art, public sculpture in Plymouth, Devon. Early life and education Hillier was born ...

, depicting a female actor crouching in preparation to run onstage. It was commissioned by and installed outside the

Theatre Royal, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Plymouth, is a theatre venue in Plymouth, Devon. It consists of a 1,300-seat main auditorium, The Lyric, which regularly hosts large-scale musicals, opera and ballet; a 200-seat studio, The Drum; and a 50-seat studio, The Lab. ...

in 2019 in preparation for the city's '' Mayflower 400'' celebrations. At tall and wide, and weighing , it is the largest sculpture ever created in the United Kingdom using the

lost-wax casting Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...

process. It was cast over 18 months in the Castle Fine Arts foundry in

Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant () is a village, community and an ecclesiastical parish in the extreme north of Powys, Wales; about 9 miles west of Oswestry and 12 miles south of Llangollen, on the B4580. It lies near the foothills of the Berwyn mountains ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

, and delivered by barge across

Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...

Symbolism

The piece is based upon a single brief pose by a female cast member, Nicola Kavanagh, during rehearsals for a performance of the

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' in 2014. The title ''Messenger'' refers to the role of an actor in breathing life into the words of a writer. Hillier said that "There's a lot of work, a lot of graft but the biggest challenge is keeping the freshness of the original idea intact, keeping the lightness of that moment." The sculpture is intended to be a counterpart to the many sculptures of men in Plymouth and across the UK. Interviewed after ''Messengers installation, Kavanagh said of it, "She's brave, she's not afraid. She is ready for anything that comes her way. If one little girl in Plymouth or anywhere else sees her and is inspired that would be great. There aren't that many statues of women and those that are around are passive, demure or looking beautiful. She looks like she's engaging and acting in a rebellious manner. I have two nieces, I think it's very important that little girls and little boys see women doing things – and you can’t miss Messenger."

Construction

The piece was commissioned as part of a £7.5 million regeneration of the Theatre and it is intended that visitors will walk through its legs to enter the Theatre Royal.

References

{{Reflist 2018 sculptures Buildings and structures in Plymouth, Devon Bronze sculptures in England Public art in England Sculptures of women in the United Kingdom Partial squatting position Colossal statues in the United Kingdom Monuments and memorials to the Pilgrims

Symbolism

Construction

See also

References