Artworks installed at Ironworks
We are excited to share photos of the latest artwork as it is being installed at Ironworks. The piece ‘The Timekeeper’ by Jo Chapman references the history of the site as the location of the Headly’s former foundry and the area’s more recent past as a council depot and the people that worked there.
The artwork is inspired by the site as a former place of work, it acknowledges the thicket of time, acting as a palimpsest for the area. The location of the new homes at Ironworks has been a foundry, the workhouse allotments and piggery, a storage yard and the council depot. The sculpture is intended to be sat on and interacted with by the residents of the new homes.
The sculpture incorporates a verse from a poem, adding further layers to the piece. The poem was developed in collaboration with writer and poet, Hannah Jane Walker and the Lifecraft community group.
The form is developed from the shape made by the footprint of the foundry buildings, from old maps and drawings of the drainpipes cast by the Eagle Foundry. It is a contemporary, sculptural interpretation of a foundry’s language – of metal, casting, industry, technology – and forms that are both functional and robust. 3d wax printing was used to make the castings for the fabrication of the piece. The process provided a contemporary parallel, the incorporation of cutting-edge technology, and the approach of Headly’s who at the time also embraced innovations and the latest technology.
The colour references the more recent past as the council depot. The orange and acid yellow are the high visibility work clothes of the council workers.
Further landscaping around the piece will take place in the coming weeks, the images displayed show the new artwork developed with the community being lifted into place.
