full fathom five

Seafarers Memorial Sculpture, Portmarine, Portishead 2007/8

84 x 48 x 9m. 108 Granite Pillars, texts, earthwork. Continuum Arts, Persimmon Homes.

108 granite columns varying in height from 3 to 1 metres are arranged in serpentine aisles across the earth mound, allowing spectators to traverse the work in varying directions and giving views of the adjacent Bristol Channel and the distant coast of Wales.

The sweeping form has the profile of waves, this and the texts from a poem by Stuart Clamp and notes on cargos and destinations link the piece with the sea and its theme as a memorial for seafarers. The pillars were made in a quarry in Xiamen in China and transported by ship to the UK for finishing in Dan’s Lincolnshire studio.