A large and appreciative audience of those interested in the creative arts enjoyed an illuminating evening on Saturday 12th November in the Blake Studio at Norwich School.
We were in the company of the darling of East Anglian sculpture, Laurence Edwards and members of the Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society (n-cas.org.uk). In 2006, Edwards won the Royal Society of Portrait Sculpture Award, and became an Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 2012. In November 2019, his sculpture Man of Stones was unveiled at the Sainsbury Centre at the UEA.
Laurence Edwards’ practice has long been preoccupied with the entwining of man, nature and time. One of the few sculptors who casts his own work, he is fascinated by human anatomy and this was the driving force behind his latest work. See: Laurence Edwards: Yoxman - The Suffolk Colossus
In November 2021, Edwards installed a 26-foot-high sculpture in bronze called ‘Yoxman’ - a solitary, stationary figure alongside the speeding traffic of the A12 trunkroad in Suffolk. Organic matter is built into the casting process; a detritus of leaves, branches, stone and rope, embodying his native Suffolk landscape. As it approaches its full year in situ, Edwards reflected on the public’s response and how it has now become very much part of that landscape.
The audience was shown a specially commissioned film of the construction and installation of this magnificent work, and thereafter our speaker was in conversation with Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society lead Derek Morris and our very own Mr Campbell, as well as answering many questions from the audience of pupils, staff, ONs and local creative talents.
This event was the latest in our series of talks given by eminent personalities in their respective fields on site at Norwich School, given in partnership with local organisations. The next such offering sees the school welcome back to Blake Studio the Royal Geographical Society on 23rd November 2022 at the earlier time slot of 17:00. Two pupils from Norwich School and six pupils from two other local state schools will be presenting six micro-lectures to our audience on the theme of 'People, Planet, Partnerships'. It is a great opportunity for young presenters to share their reflections and their passion for our planet and for us to engage with them. The Honorary Chair for the evening will the highly acclaimed Professor Tim O’Riordan OBE DL FBA, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, and Advisory Board Chair of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. All are welcome to what promises to be a very thought-provoking evening. See: Royal Geographical Society - Youth Micro-Lectures: People, Planet, Partnership (rgs.org)
