What to do with sculpture? On the Edge

 

It stands
quite solitary
in the garden.
The sun
shadows
its planes,
sometimes,
deepening its forms,
acuting those
edges
behind,
and shining
that polished
curve,
afront,
casting
its frame
on the grass.
And then it is gone.
Sun, shadow, and shining.

The sun plays with it.
Children don’t
nor older ones.
Wait…
Some did come
– some little ones,
climbing up
to see and feel.
How smooth
its surfaces,
to walk around
and through,
and hug,
and slide.
But the bus
arrives
and the nippers scurry
away.

Is it hallowed
here,
in this garden?
Does the
people’s house
weigh it down
with sobriety
and seriousness?

No matter.
It stands;
bone-like,
yet exposed;
enduring,
strong, beyond
immensity.
Inner-framing
all that we
do,
all that we are.

[Inspired by Henry Moore’s Knife-Edge 2,  Abingdon Street Gardens, Westminster, London]
Thanks to artinpublicplaces.wordpress.com  who mentioned this sculpture to me.

[As my friend says, there is usually a back-story to my blog pieces, whether short or long, and there is to this one!  I had tracked down this sculpture, this blustery April day, and found a convenient bench on which to sit in order to contemplate and get ideas.  The setting for this sculpture was not a busy thoroughfare and so I couldn’t write about people interacting with it, because that didn’t happen in the time I was there, apart from a group of four small children.  Its setting is interesting – just opposite the Houses of Parliament, and television journalists sometimes come here to speak their piece into camera.  Well, that happened!  Thing is, the particular crew come up to the space where I was sitting; so I just kept sitting, while they filmed their piece.  In between times I had a little chat about the sculpture, and the young presenter said he didn’t know too much about sculpture – lovely, so off I went, telling him all kinds of stuff! – But mostly that sculpture needed to be touched – it’s a very tactile art form.  When there was a gap in their filming, I said ‘Come on, come and see the sculpture closer’; so he did and we had a giggle!  Cheers Ade! Hope it was a good introduction to sculpture!]

 

Introducing Ade Adepitan to sculpture!