SPIRAL OF TIME 2023
The sculpture was commissioned by Wootton Parish Council and illustrates the history of the village of Wootton, beginning with fossil finds and Roman remains on Boars Hill. Woodland for building houses and good soil brought early occupation to the area. There is the importance of flax growing in Saxon times and then the beginnings of agriculture illustrated with an old plough. Barley was grown very early and then wheat & oats, which continues today. Later cattle and sheep and a history of horses being kept in the area. The local Primary School was also involved in the design.
The sculpture is made from laser cut, polished stainless steel
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, 2009
Bonn Square, Oxford
The commission was a present from the city of Bonn to the city of Oxford. The two piles of books are symbolic of the links between the two University Cities. After the war Oxford was the first city to approach a German city in order to bring friendship and exchange common concerns. This is reflected in the indented titles on the books: Knowledge, Understanding, Friendship, Trust, Wissen, Verständigung, Freundschaft, Vertrauen
The books are cast in bronze from real books and the largest stands 1.2 m. Small piles are also placed on benches around the square. The aim is for the public to be able to interact with the sculpture.
"I hope the sculpture has a universal message that the more knowledge people have of each other, the more they can begin to understand each other and eventually work together."
TOGETHER, 2007
Lidl Supermarket, Oxford
The sculpture was commissioned by Lidl Supermarket, Oxford and stands at the front of the store. The brief was to create a sculpture for the store which is opposite the council estate of Blackbird Leys.
"I wanted to create a sculpture which reflects the community of Blackbird Leys. I worked with three primary schools, an art group, youth groups and BMW apprentices. The main theme which people wanted was about family and a supportive community"
The figures are life size and represent a universal image of humans as social beings.
KINGSOAK DEVELOPMENT, ABINGDON, 2006
The commission received an award in 2008 from the Oxford Preservation Trust.
The aim of the commission was to capture the history of the site. A series of bronze pieces are placed within the development, so that they are viewed as people walk through. The site was originally an industrial area with a malting factory, tanning and leather work and scientific instrument making.
A large pair of bronze boots stand next to a malt sack cast in resin. Then a bronze apron placed over a stone bench, as though the worker has just left.
Finally a circle of bronze relief plaques enhance a seating area near the dwellings. The reliefs celebrate all the work that has taken place on the site, since the 19th century.
'I want people to smile as they walk through the development, but at the same time to be aware of all the people who have worked on this site to make Abingdon the town it is today.'
A SEAT OF LEARNING, 2005
Shown in ‘Dreams, Plans, Visions,’ Modern Art Oxford 2005
‘The inspiration for the sculpture was the awesome accumulation of human knowledge and what we human beings do with it. Sometimes we use it wisely, sometimes unwisely…. and sometimes we just sit on it.’
The seat is created from a pile of books, which I have stacked to form a bench. The actual seat is two large open books. Each person is therefore sitting on a book. The seat is cast in cold cast bronze resin, 80cm high and 120cm wide.
UNITED, 2004
The Manor Hospital, Oxford
The brief was to create a sculpture which celebrates the history of the site as the former Oxford United Football ground. Diana was selected from sixty four applications across the UK. Her design celebrates the many people who have visited the site in the past and will visit in the future. The relief is 8.5 metres long and was modelled in clay in Diana’s studio at Magdalen Road Studios, then cast in marble resin.
The sculpture can be seen on the wall of the main entrance to the Manor Hospital, Headington, Oxford.
