When I was a small child I saw an image of Sir Jacob Epstein’s bronze, St Michael’s Victory over the Devil. It was unveiled in June 1960, so 9 years before I was born, plenty long enough to have made it into my “Child’s Encyclopaedia” so I’m guessing it was there. Certainly long before the web was around! Anyway, I remember thinking even as a kid, and not knowing what it was or anything about it – “ohh that looks interesting!”, and I remember thinking, it must be big! Who’d have thought it would take me 50 years to get to see it! I some way’s I think it’s the highlight of the cathedral.
Almost looking up at him is “Coventry Boy”. A sculpture by Philip Bentham. When I first saw it I was slightly behind and to it’s left, it looked for all the world like a modern sculpture, and that the boy was taking a selfie with his phone! It’s funny how assumptions of current life impede on interpretation! He is in fact holding a “certificate of apprentice”. He has a bare foot, this indicates he was poor, therefore an important piece of paper! It stands on what was the burial ground of the old St Michaels, beyond that the area was industrial and very close to the old Triumph Cycle works – also destroyed in the second world war!
For those who prefer something more abstract “The Phoenix Tree” is but a few feet away. A sculpture by George Wagstaffe, inspired by new tree’s growing where an old one had fallen. It’s in the universities peace garden, and open to the public.
This was made with a 40mm lens and was one of those shot’s where I had to be stood right on that exact spot. In the background is the Cathedrals Spire (lowered in to position by helicopter!), and not an aerial!! If I moved a matter of inches, either the sculpture overlapped the spire or I cropped “St Michael’s Victory over the Devil” in an ugly way. I got it on the second attempt!
All these images were made on a roll of HP5 developed in D23.
S.H.O.U.T. 