'Beyond Ithaka': New Stainless Steel Wire Sculpture Unveiled
In a moving ceremony attended by more than 200 people, a new sculpture commissioned by the NHS to raise awareness about organ donation was recently unveiled at Trentham Gardens in Stoke-on-Trent. Made using stainless steel wire supplied by BS Stainless, the sculpture was designed and created by renowned artist Robin Wight.
Robin's stunning sculpture is entitled 'Beyond Ithaka'. Ithaka is an island in Greece which, in stories of ancient mythology, was the homeland of Odysseus. The hero travelled the world on a number of dangerous adventures, always yearning to return to Ithaka; the island has become a metaphor for the destination of the journey of life.
To create the sculpture, Robin began with a stone ball and plinth, both of which are remnants from the original Trentham Hall which was demolished many years ago. Using this as a base, Robin used thousands of metres of our stainless steel wire to sculpt a giant figure of Mother Nature, before adding no less than 400 copper leaves in the figure of a heart, representing the logo of NHS Organ Donation.
"The basic concept of the design is something beautiful growing from the remnants of the past," said Robin, who spent more than three months creating the sculpture. The artwork will be a special place for grieving families to remember the lives of loved ones who have generously donated their organs and saved the lives of others in desperate need.
Speaking about 'Beyond Ithaka', Robin Wight said: "I rarely take on commission work, but when Trentham asked me if I’d consider teaming up with them and the NHS in the middle of a pandemic, there was no hesitation." He added that the purpose of the sculpture was to promote awareness of the importance of organ donation, to help start taboo-breaking conversations about the subject and to "provide a peaceful place of contemplation and reflection away from graves and hospitals."
BS Stainless has been supplying Robin Wight with stainless steel wire for many years. As the founder of FantasyWire, he uses the versatile material to create a range of different art pieces, predominantly fairies and dandelions of exquisite beauty. We were extremely proud to supply the raw material for 'Beyond Ithaka' and look forward to working with him more in the future.
The unveiling ceremony of 'Beyond Ithaka' was shown on The One Show on the BBC. The programme is available to view on iPlayer: skip to the eight minute mark to watch the ceremony. For more information about stainless steel wire from BS Stainless, please browse our website or get in touch with our expert technical team.