Tom Na Ba, South Galson, Isle of Lewis, HS2 0SH
On winning this prestigious award, presented by PSSA President, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, Will Maclean and Marian Leven commented delightedly, ‘We are greatly honoured to have been awarded the PSSA Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture. The other four Sculptures on the shortlist were of outstanding quality and creativity.
The Galson community who commissioned us join us in thanking the judges. It is important that the visual arts are brought into the public domain and the PSSA Marsh Awards are at the forefront of this.’
na Dorsan, Will Maclean and Marian Leven, 2024, reclaimed stone, Caithness Stone Slab, Scottish Larch and beach stones, Tom Na Ba, South Galson, Isle of Lewis. Photography: Ralph Tonge.
‘Much of my childhood was spent in the Crofting and Fishing Communities of the Scottish Highlands. This experience informed my art practice throughout my career,’ Will Maclean explained. ‘In the 1990s, I was invited to design land raid memorials for the Island of Lewis. The communities wished to commemorate and celebrate their past histories and educate future generations. A further two designs were completed with Marian Leven RSA, they included a meeting point or gathering place for local events. Na Dorsan was the last of these two.’
In the 1840s to 1860s the Galson estate on the north west coast of the Isle of Lewis was cleared to make way for sheep. Most of the people were put onto an emigration ship to Canada and those left scattered on Lewis. With starving livestock and nowhere to go in 1888 men broke down the turf wall around the grassland at the farm and the place to graze cattle which been used by the township before they were cleared for sheep in order to allow their animals in; four arrests were made and the men taken to Edinburgh for trial.
na Dorsan, Will Maclean and Marian Leven, 2024, reclaimed stone, Caithness Stone Slab, Scottish Larch and beach stones, Tom Na Ba, South Galson, Isle of Lewis. Photography: Ralph Tonge
Despite legislation for new crofts nothing was done until in 1923 permission was given to resettle the community. The township was rebuilt by 1924 so our sculpture is to commemorate the 100th anniversary, remember those who struggled, and celebrate the community buy out of the estate in 2007.
The Circle represents unity and infinity. Na dorsan is Gaelic for ‘the doors’ so the open doorways and pathways represent a welcome and the historical information incised into the round granite tabletop and the seats round the wall is reminiscent of the heart of the home, bringing people together. The expert dry stane dyking is by Chris Barrowman.
Will Maclean and Marian Leven
http://www.galsontrust.com/landraidmonuments
na Dorsan, Will Maclean and Marian Leven, 2024, reclaimed stone, Caithness Stone Slab , Scottish Larch and beach stones, Tom Na Ba, South Galson, Isle of Lewis. Photography: Ralph Tonge
Playhouse Gardens, Leeds, LS2 7UP
After receiving her certificate for winning the public vote, which was
presented by PSSA President, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO,Pippa Hale declared that she was ‘absolutely thrilled that Ribbons won the public vote for the PSSA Marsh Award. Making artworks for the public realm is a huge honour and a great responsibility. These objects we make become part of our landscapes, things that people walk past every day, objects that say something about who we are as a society at a moment in time.
For many women named on Ribbons, it means so much to have a permanent, public acknowledgment of their hard work and dedication to family, community and work that will be there for future generations to see. So this award is for all of the women on Ribbons – past and present, seen and unseen – I salute each and every one of you.’
Ribbons is the first sculpture in Leeds to celebrate the contribution women have made to the city in the past, and the part they play now. Located in Playhouse Gardens, it stands 4m high and comprises several lengths of 8mm Corten steel into which are cut the names of 383 women, nominated by public vote.
Pippa Hale, Ribbons, 2024, Corten steel, Playhouse Gardens, Leeds. Photography: Josh Hall.
As Professor Griselda Pollock reflects in her short article on the website which accompanies Ribbons, ‘Names open doors to stories, deeds, and the example of people who do not seek power or influence but every day tip the scales in favour of humanity…’. The Ribbons‘ website lists all the named women on the work, together with their short biographies. By sharing these women’s stories, I want to mark a moment in history, a snapshot, which records their dedication, invention, courage and compassion which upheld, and continue to uphold, our city and communities.
Unnamed women are also represented: some ribbons appear to emerge from the ground, conveying the idea that there are many ribbons connected underground. This represents the hidden network of women who underpin our society and whose work and contribution remain unseen, unrecognised and unrewarded.
Pippa Hale, Ribbons (detail), 2024, Corten steel, Playhouse Gardens, Leeds. Photography: Jules Lister.
My choice of material was both practical and philosophical. On the one hand, I needed a material that was strong enough to endure in the public realm but still sufficiently flexible to create the appearance of movement and fluidity, while on the other I liked the idea of using a really strong, beautiful material, which is often employed in the construction industry for its toughness, to represent the determination and resilience of women.
Ribbons was commissioned by women for women: Rachel Reeves MP (the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer), Simone Wonnacott (the first female VC of Leeds Arts University) and Judith Blake (the first female leader of Leeds City Council).
The project was supported by Leeds Arts University, Leeds City College, Leeds City Council, Leeds BID, Caddick, Leeds Civic Trust, Henry Moore Foundation, Leeds Playhouse, The Liz and Terry Brammall Foundation. The sculpture was produced by Fish Fabrications, engineered by Sky Hooks Engineering and installed by Wood Logistics.
Pippa Hale
https://www.ribbons-sculpture-leeds.co.uk/
Pippa Hale with Ribbons, 2024, Corten steel, Playhouse Gardens, Leeds. Photography: Lazerbeam Productions.
– Alex Chinneck MRSS, The Industry on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, near Tinsley Marina, Sheffield, S9 1US.
– Jason deCaires Taylor FRSS, Alluvia, The River Stour, Westgate Bridge, Canterbury CT2 8AA.
– Ryan Gander OBE RA, Know Not Your Place in the World, Elephant Park, Elephant Road, Southwark, London, SE17 1GD.
– Pippa Hale MRSS, Ribbons, Playhouse Gardens, Leeds, LS2 7UP.
– Will Maclean MBE, RSA and Marian Leven RSA, RSW na Dorsan, Tom Na Ba, South Galson, Isle of Lewis, HS2 0SH.