Scallop is a 2003 work by British artist

Maggi Hambling Margaret ("Maggi") J. Hambling (born 23 October 1945) is a British artist. Though principally a painter her best-known public works are the sculptures ''A Conversation with Oscar Wilde'' and '' A Sculpture for Mary Wollstonecraft'' in London, ...

. It is located on Aldeburgh beach, Suffolk, in an

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

and is a tribute to composer

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

Creation and unveiling

Hambling commissioned local business J. T. Pegg & Sons LTD to create the sculpture. It is made from stainless steel and is 3.7 metres in height and weighs 3.5 tons, appearing as two halves of a seashell. The sculpture features a quote from Benjamin Britten’s opera, ''

Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...

'': “I hear those voices that will not be drowned.” Hambling was not paid for her time working on the sculpture and funded manufacturing costs with her own money and sales of her artwork. Hambling intended the piece to be interacted with, climbed on, sat on, "made love" under, and used as a shelter. The sculpture was unveiled on Saturday 8 November 2003 by former culture secretary Chris Smith.

Reception

Reaction to the sculpture was mixed. Scallop was named the best public sculpture in Britain and received the

Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture The Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture is an annual award for public sculpture in the UK or Ireland. The Award is funded by the Marsh Charitable Trust and is made on the recommendation of a panel of judges under the auspices of the Pu ...

in 2006. However negative criticism has arisen surrounding the sculpture’s position in an area of outstanding natural beauty with critics claiming that it has ruined views of the seafront. Following the unveiling of the sculpture, some Aldeburgh residents formed a campaign group calling on Suffolk Coastal District Council to have the sculpture removed to another location.{{cite news , last1=Chambers , first1=Sarah , title=Scallop group wants council to rethink , url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/scallop-group-wants-council-to-rethink-7449046 , access-date=29 March 2021 , publisher=East Anglian Daily Times , date=10 June 2004 Hambling defended her sculpture as made “for that particular place in juxtaposition with the sea, and that is where I want it to stay.” The sculpture has also been the target of repeated vandalism.

References

Stainless steel sculptures 2003 sculptures Benjamin Britten Outdoor sculptures in England Monuments and memorials in England