Five new sculptures set to go on display as part of £1m Wakefield city centre art trail

Wakefield Council has confirmed details of the unveiling of the artworks which have been secured through Westminster funding.

The sculptures by artists Halima Cassell, Andy Holden, Annie Morris, Ro Robertson and Jason Wilsher-Mills will be put in place between July and September.

Planning permission has been granted for the pieces, which will be displayed at key city centre locations.

Michelle Collins, the council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and sport, said: “Our district has an amazing heritage for sculpture and public art.

“We’re the birthplaces of internationally renowned artists – Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth – and home to the Hepworth Wakefield and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

“We are excited that we can continue to develop and grow this part of our heritage, with our new city centre sculpture trail.

“We hope that by bringing public art to life across the streets of our city centre, we can attract even more visitors to experience and enjoy our wonderful district.”

The city centre public sculptures programme has been funded by £1m of investment from the department for digital, culture, media and sport.

The five sculptures and locations are:

Auguries: Last Calls, by Andy Holden

The work features a series of bronze structures that represent the songs of native birds with rapidly declining populations, including the skylark and swift.The work will be located next to the Wakefield One building, on Burton Street, and unveiled in July.

Bronze Stack 9 Viridian Green, by Annie Morris

It features a bronze sculpture of colourful “stacked spheres”The colours aim to reflect both the busy outdoor environment of the city but also the stunning natural landscape that surrounds Yorkshire.The sculpture will be outside the West Yorkshire History Centre, on Kirkgate, from July.

Amazonian Caiman God, by Jason Wilsher-Mills

The bronze sculpture, to be placed near to the entrance of The Ridings shopping centre, explores the artist’s personal connection to Walton Hall, the former home of Charles Waterton.The sculpture will depict an Amazonian Caiman god holding a small ferry boat containing figures of his parents.The figure will be wearing leg callipers as a proud depiction of disability and a nod to the artist’s own experience of debilitating chicken pox in childhood that left him partially paralysed.People objected to its proximity to Wakefield Cathedral, claiming it ‘offends Christianity’.

Gathering, by Halima Cassell

The work will feature a hand-carved concrete sculpture comprising five sculptural columns.It reflects the artist’s interest in Barbara Hepworth’s ‘The Family of Man’ sculptures which are on permanent display at The Hepworth Wakefield and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.It will be displayed outside Wakefield Westgate station from July.The Source, by Ro Robertson

Launching in early September, the work will take the form of a sculptural walkway and garden.It has been developed specifically for the site of The Springs, one of the main public transport and pedestrian routes through Wakefield, which was previously the site of freshwater springs.Until 1837, the sole sources of water in the city were springs, wells and streams, and the site would have been used as a daily watering hole and place of healing.