''Savacou'' is an aluminium sculpture of a stylised bird by the Jamaican sculptor Ronald Moody. It is sited on the campus of the University of the West Indies in

Mona, Jamaica Mona is a neighbourhood in southeastern Saint Andrew Parish, approximately eight kilometres from Kingston, Jamaica. A former sugarcane plantation, it is the site of a reservoir serving the city of Kingston and the main campus of the Universi ...

Commissioning

The sculpture was commissioned by the Epidemiological Research Unit in London to be sited in front of the Epidemiological Research Unit on the campus of the University College of the West Indies."Brief article on ‘Savacou’ by Ronald Moody [1964–5]"
Tate. Extensive discussions on the commission took place between Moody, Professor A. L. Cochrane, director of the London unit, and Dr W. E. Miall, director of the Mona research unit.Subject file relating to sculpture, Savacou
Tate. The statue was a gift from Cochrane to the Unit, rather than a gift to Miall in order to generate more press attention. Moody was unaware of any surviving statues of the god Savacou and initially had planned to depict the god in the form of a heron with a similar pointy-headed look to other ritual bird depictions that had survived; but, having considered the proposed site, the design was changed to that of a larger abstract

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

-shape with alterations to the legs and base. At the time of the commission Moody had been interested in his West Indian background and was working in concrete, but subsequent to producing ''Savacou'' he changed medium. ''Savacou'' is the most famous work from this period of his career. Early in the design process the work was rejected by the Royal Academy. A

maquette A ''maquette'' (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names ''plastico'' or ''modello'') is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', from the Italian word for "sketc ...

of the sculpture was made in 1963 and the sculpture cast in the summer of 1964. The cast sculpture was first exhibited in August and September 1964 on the lawn of the

Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...

, generating radio, television and filmed coverage. The statue was shipped to Jamaica but was damaged in transit and required repair before siting.

Description

The sculpture depicts the bird incarnation of Savacou (from the Carib word ''Sawaku'' meaning heron), the god of storms and thunder who 'blows the lightning through a great reed'.Savacou Maquette
African and Asian Visual Artists Archive. The design is an abstract

shape with the shape of the bird's comb hinting at the gods later metamorphosis into a star. The sculpture reflects and attempts to create pride in Taino traditions. The design of the sculpture was later adapted as ''Carib War Bird'' for the flyleaf of the journal ''

Savacou ''Savacou: A Journal of the Caribbean Artists Movement'' was a journal of literature, new writing and ideas founded in 1970 as a small co-operative venture, led by Edward Kamau Brathwaite, on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, ...

''.

Eddie Chambers Edward Chambers (born March 29, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by '' The Ring'' at the conclusion of 20 ...

, ''Black Artists in British Art: A History from 1950 to the Present'', I.B.Tauris, 2014 (), p. 69.

References

{{reflist, 30em Outdoor sculptures in Jamaica University of the West Indies Sculptures of birds Caribbean culture Jamaican folklore 1964 sculptures

Commissioning

Description

See also

References