Thu 25th March 10
Dream, the public art project in St Helen’s manufactured by Derbyshire based precast concrete specialist Evans Concrete has received a national Civic Trust Award and the Special Award for Community Engagement.
Designed by world renowned artist, Jaume Plensa, the 22m high precast concrete sculpture of a girl’s head with her eyes closed in a dream-like state that stands on the site of the former Sutton Manor colliery in St.Helens has won the Special Award for Community Engagement at the recent Civic Trust Awards Ceremony that took place in Liverpool.
The Civic Trust Awards are one of the oldest built environment award schemes in Europe and recognises the best in the built environment, from architecture to planning, townscape to infrastructure.
The Special Award for Community Engagement is to demonstrate how successful community engagement can help deliver the highest standards of design whilst meeting the needs of local people.
Dream was a collaborative project between St Helens Council and a focus group comprising of ex-miners from Sutton Manor who played a pivotal role in the development of the sculpture. Local residents and community groups from St Helens were also involved in all aspects of developing the artwork through various events over the project’s lifecycle.
St Helens Council have also committed to develop a long-term plan to accommodate the needs of all members of the local and wider community wishing to visit Dream and offer improved interpretation as well as improved access to the sculpture. The sculpture was originally intended as a landmark and not a tourist destination, however due to its success the sculpture is now attracting numerous visitors to its plinth in the Forest Park.
Dream was commissioned by St.Helens Council as part of The Big Art Project, an ambitious public art initiative from Channel 4 supported by Arts Council England and The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity.
Dream has also been recognised in a number of awards with Jaume Plensa being awarded a special Creativity in Concrete Award by British Precast for his work on Dream and he has also won the Marsh award for Public Sculpture 2009.
Bespoke precast concrete specialist, Evans Concrete, cast the individual precast concrete panels that make up Dream, using a Spanish Dolomite mix to give it a glowing white finish.
Garry McBride, chairman of Evans Concrete, said: “We are delighted that Dream has won the award for Community Engagement as everyone involved worked so well together to successfully create this unique sculpture. It is a perfect example of how a community can come together and make something happen. It will be a lasting reminder of the colliery which was once on this site.”
“From Evans point of view Dream is probably the finest achievement in our company’s history,” he added. “The skill and attention to detail that we have shown on this project has been outstanding and we have created an iconic sculpture which will remain as a permanent showcase to our own skills and traditions.”
