Most landmarks take years to arrive, Plymouth’s latest eye catcher took less than a day.
Arriving on a dull morning, journeying across the Sound to Millbay Docks and then on a low-loader through the city’s streets to the city centre, the Messenger arrived with formidable style. She had been joined on her precarious journey by local and national media together with well wishers sending out live broadcasts and recording the event for posterity.
In case you’re not aware, the Messenger is Plymouth’s latest sculpture and her home is outside the Theatre Royal on Royal Parade.
Adrian Vinken and his team like to do things with panache and the Messenger’s arrival was greeted in grand style with ‘The Ride of the Valkyries’ booming out over the city. Hundreds of schoolchildren and other well wishers were cheering and waving custom flags.
like all good art she will have people talking
Among the lucky few viewing the event from the balcony at the theatre was Cornish born artist Joseph Hillier. He is the creator of the sculpture which now has the kudos of being the UK’s largest cast bronze sculpture and proudly watched his gigantic work raised from her transport and lowered into place in front of the theatre’s entrance.
It had been a long journey for Messenger, from the Welsh foundry where she had been built, in fact 270 miles to Devonport Dockyard. In order to make that journey she had been broken down into four pieces and at the Dockyard she was carefully reassembled by craftsmen from the Castle Art Foundry. From the dockyard she was taken by barge before making her grand entrance.
Now standing 23 feet tall and 30 feet wide she will be a talking point for many years to come. She’s not one of those detailed statues we know of heroes and explorers from the past. If anything Messenger is a moment captured in time. The piece is based upon a single brief pose by a female cast member during rehearsals for ‘Othello’ a co-production with theatre company Frantic Assembly at the theatre in 2014. The sculpture is therefore a fleeting moment by a character rather than a likeness of the actress herself. Dark and moody the hooded figure will tower over theatre goers as they arrive for shows and even provide an archway for those happy to walk under her.
There’s no doubt that like all art she will have those who love her and those that do not, but like all good art she will have people talking, just like much of the work that goes on in the theatre itself. Over the next few weeks, years and decades, locals and visitors alike will be admiring her and sharing their images of her throughout the World.
Speaking before her arrival Adrian Vinken, chief executive of the Theatre Royal Plymouth said:
“The whole Messenger project has been a roller- coaster ride from the outset. The scale of the undertaking and the skill and dedication shown by Castle Fine Arts in creating her has been just astonishing. Getting her to her home outside the Theatre Royal has been nothing short of a military operation involving eight separate contractors and agencies working in close co-ordination. Their enthusiasm at being part of the adventure speaks for itself.
“You never really know, until something comes to reality, whether the vision for something is going to translate into reality, but I think in this case it has. When you experience her in the flesh and you see people’s reaction and the fact that they are clearly engaged, it’s all that we hoped for in this piece of art.
“She will make an impact on the city and hopefully people will come to see her for many years to come because she is rather special.”
