New sculpture for Shropshire arrives from Glastonbury
A giant monolithic head sculpture has been installed at the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry.
The enormous sculpture, entitled “A Head On With The Future”, was transported to Shropshire from the Glastonbury Festival.
It was created by artist Mark Vanaria to signify the prejudice indigenous people face through the theft of their land and devastation of sacred sites.
It also acts as a commentary on industries clearing lands for agriculture, and the devastating impact this has on our natural world and climate change.
Mark, who grew up in Australia, wanted to draw on his respect for the Aboriginal people as inspiration for this sculpture.
As a wanderer, he has developed a passion for recycling and using these recycled materials within his artworks.
Crafted from industrial scrap from the agricultural, automotive and oil and gas industries, the sculpture features a petrol tanker, plus pieces from a 1957 Bentley car and a Q4 military truck.
A living sculpture filled with plants, it was commissioned by Joe Rush of Mutoid Waste Company for Glastonbury in 2009, and returned to the festival in 2022 for it’s 50th anniversary.
Mark said: “The monolithic head represents civilisations decimated by colonisation, capitalism, and industrialisation.
“It symbolises the threat to humanity if we don’t recognise that we are part of nature, not its master. It’s our obligation to take care of mother earth and leave it better for future generations, yet we’re doing the reverse.
“Burning fossil fuels, extracting oil and gas, destroying rainforests, and mining for new technology are destroying the natural environment.
“Nature can heal itself; the monolith overgrown with plants represents our bright future.
“Like in Chernobyl and the Australian fires of 2020, nature can grow back if humans leave it alone,” added Mark.
Clive Knowles, chairman of The British Ironwork Centre, said he was thrilled that the sculpture was now in Shropshire.
“It represents two very important global messages,” he said.
The centre is known for its sculptures and the sculptures that it had commissioned artists to create over the years.
The best known is the powerful Knife Angel, by artist, Alfie Bradley, that is touring the UK as part of a national, hard-hitting anti-knife campaign.
It is currently in Birkenhead on the Wirral.
