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Notes
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‘Still Life’ was Watson’s first major public commission. Originally, it was due to be made in red brick, but the artist offered a carving instead. In January 1984, he started work on four blocks of stone (each weighing over one-and-a-half tons) from the Springwell quarry in Gateshead. It took him a year to complete. The weight of the finished piece caused some problems at its installation. The sculpture, dangling from slings on a gantry, had to be wheeled manually to the prepared plinth in West Square. It was then settled onto mounds of ice so that the slings could be withdrawn as the ice melted. Watson has dedicated his artistic life to making still lives (all his sculptures are called ‘Still Life’). Like Morandi, he is fascinated by the stillness of inanimate objects and the meanings that they hold.
The white lines around the sculpture illustrate how it was made. At one time the joins would have been seamless, but resin discolours and the sculpture has opened up. ‘Still Life’ is an extremely popular sculpture for sitting on, more so when the Odeon cinema was opposite it.
Title
Still Life
Date
1984–1985
Medium
Springwell stone
Measurements
H 183 x W 206 x D 127 cm
Accession number
CM20_TJ_ S053
Acquisition method
commissioned by Harlow Art Trust
Work type
Sculpture
Owner
Harlow Art Trust
Custodian
Harlow Art Trust
Work status
extant
Unveiling date
1985
Access
at all times
