A Leeds artist is unveiling a tribute to the City’s lost streams and becks and the legacy of Burmantofts Pottery.
Amelia Frances Wood has created a series of five ceramic sculptures entitled ‘Forged In The Muddy Beck’ which sit within a new ‘rain courtyard’ in The Terry Frost Building, a student building in the City. The tribute will be launched on 9 October.
British abstract artist Sir Terry Frost taught at the Leeds School of Art and the building, named after the celebrated painter, pays homage to his work with a large frieze in the atrium. A poetry installation from Yorkshire-based poet Zaffar Kunial based on hidden river ‘Sheepscar Beck’ is also displayed in the building.
The student building houses 411 students, and is from developer Alumno, who embed art, poetry and sculpture into the public areas around all of their student buildings, which rejuvenate run-down and disused sites and are a catalyst for regeneration.
The artist commented: “It is exciting to see my sculpture come to life and enliven the rain garden. I was inspired by the history of the river and what stories the beck holds, using the clay to reflect on the way water distorts and manipulates objects over time. I have taken inspiration from Burmantofts pottery traditional vessels to influence the sculptures’ forms.”
The courtyard is open to the public to enjoy.
Main image: Amelia Frances Wood with one of her sculptures.
