Bird sculpture trail progresses
The latest sculpture in the ‘Bord Waalk’ trail has just been installed, to the evident delight of passing walkers. ‘Tern’ by artist Jon Voss has been placed along the Coquet estuary, between the Warkworth Road and the Shorebase Trust.
Jon Voss with his sculpture inspired by the Roseate Terns on Coquet Island
Jon, who is based in the south of France, is influenced by nature and endangered species, and this piece was inspired by the wings of a Roseate Tern.
He told the Ambler “Everything I do is about nature, and I want to draw awareness to the subject of endangered species.”
Jon said he was inspired to create Tern because nearby Coquet Island is the only place in the UK where endangered Roseate Terns breed, and he felt the artwork took on even more meaning after the recent avian flu outbreak had significantly cut their numbers.
The four metre high sculpture is made from marine grade stainless steel, which has been hand beaten, and finished with seven different layers of polish.
Jon said “I wanted a mirror finish so that the piece would reflect the landscape. It’s a bold statement without over-dominating its surroundings.”
Fans of Jon’s work don’t have to travel too far to see another piece. ‘Heron’ is a light sculpture, produced as part of Lumiere 2017 and then bought by Durham City for permanent display.
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- Bird Song by Aether and Hemera
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- Flock Sphere by Rob Mulholland
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- Tern by Jon Voss
Tern is the third sculpture in the Bord Waalk trail to be installed so far, with Bird Song by Italian based artists Aether and Hemera, and Flock Sphere by Scottish artist Rob Mulholland further along the Braid. Ultimately there will be twelve physical artworks, and several virtual pieces along with an app.
Walkers along the estuary at Amble were fascinated by the new sculpture and several stopped to talk to Jon as he made the finishing touches to the fixings.
“It’s beautiful” said one passer-by. “We’ve just walked past the other two sculptures, they are lovely. You see this sort of thing abroad, but it’s great to have it here. We’ll be back to look when they are all finished.”
Anna Williams
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