Willow Man
Encyclopedia
Willow Man is a large outdoor sculpture
by Serena de la Hey, situated in a field by junction 23 of the M5 motorway
near Bridgwater
in Somerset
, South West England
. It stands 40 feet (12 m), made of willow
withies on a steel frame.
Willow Man was commissioned by South West Arts, for the Year of the Artist 2000, and was unveiled in September 2000.
It marks the millennium and celebrates the role of willow in the ecology and craft tradition of the Somerset Levels
.
The first sculpture was burnt down in an arson attack on 8 May 2001.
The Willow Man was rebuilt by the same artist in October 2001.
As a precaution against further attacks, a moat
was excavated around the sculpture.
A notable landmark, the sculpture is also popularly known as "Withy Man", or "Angel of the South" in reference to Antony Gormley
's sculpture Angel of the North
(although the name Angel of the South
is now in more common usage as the official title for a colossal sculpture in Ebbsfleet).
On 4 September 2006, it was decided that the Willow man was going to get a "£20,000 hair cut".
Maintenance took place in that month. The original artist, Serena de la Hey said at the time she thought that many local birds have been using the material for their nests. When the artist saw her sculpture she was 'shocked to see the wear and tear'.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
by Serena de la Hey, situated in a field by junction 23 of the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
near Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
. It stands 40 feet (12 m), made of willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
withies on a steel frame.
Willow Man was commissioned by South West Arts, for the Year of the Artist 2000, and was unveiled in September 2000.
It marks the millennium and celebrates the role of willow in the ecology and craft tradition of the Somerset Levels
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels, or the Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known, is a sparsely populated coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, South West England, between the Quantock and Mendip Hills...
.
The first sculpture was burnt down in an arson attack on 8 May 2001.
The Willow Man was rebuilt by the same artist in October 2001.
As a precaution against further attacks, a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
was excavated around the sculpture.
A notable landmark, the sculpture is also popularly known as "Withy Man", or "Angel of the South" in reference to Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley
Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...
's sculpture Angel of the North
Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead,formerly County Durham, England.It is a steel sculpture of an angel, standing tall, with wings measuring across...
(although the name Angel of the South
Angel of the South
The White Horse at Ebbsfleet, formerly the Ebbsfleet Landmark, colloquially the Angel of the South, is a planned white horse statue to be built in the Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent, England...
is now in more common usage as the official title for a colossal sculpture in Ebbsfleet).
On 4 September 2006, it was decided that the Willow man was going to get a "£20,000 hair cut".
Maintenance took place in that month. The original artist, Serena de la Hey said at the time she thought that many local birds have been using the material for their nests. When the artist saw her sculpture she was 'shocked to see the wear and tear'.