Artist Richard Harris with the Jurassic Stones sculpture
A landmark sculpture for Weymouth has been officially unveiled.
The Jurassic Stones sculpture is part of a programme to increase art in the borough before this summer’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events.
Based near the Jurassic roundabout in Littlemoor, which is part of the new Weymouth relief road, the sculpture is part of a wider arts project for Weymouth and Portland.
Other works of art include an artist-led lighting scheme and deckchairs designed by local people on Weymouth seafront as well as media projects for 13-19 year olds.
The cultural programme associated with the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events is expected to create at least 40 full time jobs in the Weymouth and Portland area.
The project is mainly funded by Arts Council England and supported by Dorset County Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
The overall arts project funding is about £725,000 over three years with £335,000 being spent on the Jurassic Stones sculpture.
National, regional and local artists are working with the highways, engineering and regeneration teams of local authorities.
The sculpture, which is designed by Devon-born artist Richard Harris, is inspired by the natural environment in which it sits.
It was created using boulders which were revealed when work began in preparation for the Weymouth relief road.
Each boulder weighs between two and nine tonnes and they are known as Bencliff Grit concretions. Their formation started 160 to 65 million years ago in what would have been a tropical lagoon.
The stainless steel pillars used to support the stones are designed to reflect the surrounding environment.
Arts Council England’s Director for the South West, Phil Gibby said:
“When people arrive in Weymouth for the 2012 Olympic sailing events, this sculpture will welcome them and connect the vibrant and creative place it is now with the geology and prehistory of its past.
“After the games are over, Jurassic Stones will remain for people to enjoy. Through support for projects like this we want to help the Jurassic Coast to become a world-renowned destination for tourists, attracted by its fascinating past and its vibrant cultural present.”
Artist Richard Harris said: “I was inspired to work with the large Bencliff Grit stones when they were revealed by the road excavations on Southdown Ridge – to preserve them and to give them a new life after millions of years under ground.
“The stones ‘float’ delicately above the water with a quiet energy – defying their weight and our sense of stone.”
I hope the sculpture will encourage people to think about the geology of the Jurassic coast and the importance of the stones as indicators of the earth’s history.”
Peter Finney, cabinet member for highways at Dorset County Council, said: “We have worked closely with Arts Council England to include public art in the Weymouth relief road project.
“Richard has worked closely with officers at Dorset County Council and Skanska to develop a sculpture that will provide an attractive approach to Weymouth.
“We are delighted the sculpture is now complete and how it complements the work on the relief road.”
Further Information
Richard Harris has 35 years experience in sculpture. His works can be seen around the world with key pieces in Australia and Japan as well as work across Europe.
His sculptures can be seen at the Welsh National Assembly, the Millennium Coastal Park in Llanelli and at the Open University in Milton Keynes.
The odd shaped boulders are examples of what geologists call concretions.
Very soon after the layers of sand were laid down, minerals started to concentrate around fragments of plant or shell within the sediment. Slowly these minerals started to fill up the spaces between the grains of sand around these fragments forming hard lumps within sandstone.
Bencliff Grit today is mostly soft sandstone that easily crumbles but contained within the layers of soft sandstone are very hard concretions of various shapes and sizes.
