The
memorial artwork and garden was made possible through
the generous donation of a local man, the late Mr
Charles Dook who passed away last year.
Mr
Dook’s vision was to enable the creation of an artwork
particularly as a memorial to deceased children of the
Borough of Poole. Mr. Dook’s relatives, Wim and Alison
Hogeveen, came all the way from Canada to join us for
the official opening on 25th October 2011.
A
recruitment process followed Mr. Dook’s donation,
involving Borough of Poole Officers and Members. This
saw the engagement of local artist Zoe Cull from ‘Stoneform’,
whose previous, sensitive and subtle work along with her
design proposals for the Crematorium impressed the
Recruitment Panel.
The
advertised brief required the artist to develop a
concept which would enhance the potential for visitors’
quiet reflection and respect the natural serenity of
this site. Zoe went one step further in proposing the
creation of an ‘environment’ for contemplation so that
visitors could become a part of the piece – rather than
merely being observers of a sculpture.
The
form of the artwork was largely informed by the intended
location: Despite the exposed position, Zoe wanted the
space to feel private and contained, hence the single
point of entry and the planting of a continuous hedge of
lavender around the perimeter. The centre of the circle
becomes a spiritual place, set apart from the world
surrounding it.
The
theme – in reference to Poole’s coastal location – is
the seashore and its design is of a sensory nature, with
its sights, sounds, aromas (when the lavender is
blossoming!), and tactile aesthetics. The three benches
carved from Portland Stone on Portland Roach bases
articulate the circular design and entrance path.
The
form and surface texture of these benches evoke the
‘lone sea breakers’ and ‘desolate streams’ of the poem
engraved around the artwork’s centre piece. As a
circular space, the piece naturally needed a focal point
and, as the sight and sound of a rippling pool of water
is a well-known aid to peaceful reflection, Zoe’s
solution arose naturally.
The
imprinted surface of the surrounding paving is redolent
of a sandy shore. Its Chilmark stone radiates out from
the centre, and is carved with children’s footprints,
beginning in infancy, and departing without ever leaving
the circle.
There
is an additional prompt to contemplation provided by the
first stanza of Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s ‘We Are the Music
Makers’, taken from his 1874 poem ‘Ode’:
We are the music makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;—
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.
Though it does not specifically refer to children or
loss, the words have particular beauty. The tone is one
of melancholy with a final note - not of hope exactly -
but of acceptance.
Nicki
Whittenham,
Borough of Poole Public
Art Officer,
October 2011
