A new sculpture which was unveiled on Alderley Road only a month ago has been destroyed by vandals.
The plinth which The Pear stood on was damaged on Friday, 4th July, then on Sunday evening the complete sculpture was demolished.
The Pear, which stood at 2 feet in height, was painstakingly carved from red St Bees sandstone by Wilmslow sculptor Keith Carter Harris, who donated his time free of charge. It was mounted on a three foot high plinth of Kerridge sandstone blocks.
It was the second piece of public art that local group lncredible Edible commissioned and it was sponsored by Wilmslow Town Council - which provided £900 for the cost of production and the plaque.
Sculptor Keith Carter Harris, who is also a volunteer with Incredible Edible, said "I can't believe anyone would want to destroy art in this way. As my first piece of public artwork, I volunteered my time to both create this piece and go through all the red tape to get it installed in the centre of my town, I was so proud.
"The whole process has taken two years of my time and now it lies in ruins. I hoped that people would see my work and I may even get further commissions through it, now there is nothing to show. I have had such lovely comments from people about the sculpture and how putting your time to good use for the whole community is making a difference to Wilmslow."
Comments
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Idiots have been smashing bus stops and breaking anything they can forever and you cant stop it.
I used to live on Manchester Road and EVERY weekend the For Sale Signs were uprooted and wheely bins turned out in to the street.
I've been out and challenged these groups so many times and 90% of the worst offenders were 'nice' kids for good homes, real stereotypical Wilmslow kids. Kids and Alcohol will break stuff guaranteed.
Public Art needs to be robust. You should be able to climb on it, touch it, feel it and connect with it. Sculptures, Water features, Even....Dare I say it?....Street Paintings, murals? Look at a city like Bristol, you couldn't break any of their art with a JCB.
Clive Cooksey.
Perhaps WTC will consider commissioning a sculpture that will stand up against both the elements and vandals. We are long overdue a celebration of our most celebrated resident - Alan Turing.
Alternatively, replace the pear with a coconut and charge for taking pot shots.
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The fantastic Judith Bluck, 3D Sculpture telling the Legend of Alderley in my view , although significantly larger (at Sainsbury's) again isn't displayed to best effect , as most pedestrians just walk past this outstanding piece of meaningful,local, social art.