Manual Ref* SUipIP069 Show 6 images 368
Title*

Handstanding and Making Marks
County Suffolk   District Council Ipswich 
Civil Parish or equivalent Ipswich  Town/Village* Ipswich - Ravenswood 
Road Downham Boulevard 
Precise Location Half way along Downham Boulevard off Ravenswood Avenue 
OS Grid Ref TM192415  Postcode IP3 
Previous location(s)  
Setting In the centre of the boulevard near the primary school  Access Private 
Artist/Maker Role Qualifier
Martin Heron  Sculptor(s)   

Commissioned by

 Ipswich Borough Council in partnership with Bellway Homes 

Design & Constrn period

 2005-6 

Date of installing

 2006 

Exact date of unveiling

 22-Nov-06 

Category
Abstract Animal Architectural
Commercial Commemorative Composite
Free Functional Funerary
Heraldic Military Natural
Non-Commemorative Performance Portable
Religious Roadside, Wayside Sculptural
Temporary, Mobile Other  

Object Type
Building Clock Tower Architectural
Coat of Arms Cross Fountain
Landscape Marker Medallion
Mural Panel Readymade
Relief Shaft Sculpture
Statue Street Furniture War Memorial
Other Object Sub Type:

Subject Type
Allegorical Mythological Pictorial
Figurative Non-figurative Portrait
Still-life Symbolic Other

Subject Sub Type
Bust Equestrian Full-length
Group Head Reclining
Seated Standing Torso
Part Material Dimension
Plinth  Brick and concrete  H 110 cm x Dia 343 cm 
Sculpture  6mm Cor-ten steel  H 4.5 m x W 4.5 m (approx) 

Work is
Extant Not Sited Lost

Owner/Custodian

 Ipswich Borough Council 

Listing status
Grade I Grade II* Grade II Don't Know Not Listed

Surface Condition
Corrosion, Deterioration Accretions
Bird Guano Abrasions, cracks, splits
Biological growth Spalling, crumbling
Metallic staining Previous treatments
Other  
Detail:

Structural Condition
Armature exposed Broken or missing parts
Replaced parts Loose elements
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes Spalling, crumbling
Water collection Other
Detail:

Vandalism
Graffiti Structural damage Surface Damage
Detail:

Overall condition
Good Fair Poor

Risk
No Known Risk At Risk Immediate
Signatures/Marks  
Inscriptions Imaginative / funny / striking / complex / balanced / fabulous 

Description (physical)

 A colossal hollow figure seemingly turning a cartwheel. The sculpture is composed of silhouettes of hands welded together to resemble the human form and mounted on a table-like circular plinth. Surrounding the statue and embedded into the pavement are six circular steel plates, etched with hand motifs and single adjectival words 

Description (iconographical)

 The sculpture is site-specific. It represents community values and suggests the enjoyment of healthy physical activity. The hand motif was probably derived from the Ravenswood Partnership logo. The work as a whole was developed in close consultation with local residents and by working with children from the nearby school. During November ’05 Martin Heron produced Making Our Mark as a response to Ravenswood and the surrounding community. It was commissioned by Ipswich Borough Council in partnership with Bellway Homes. The artist undertook a series of workshops with Ravenswood Primary School, local residents and residents of Jamie Cann House. He introduced participants to a simple sand casting process where they were able to cast a variety of objects, footprints and handprints. From this he encouraged them to produce an outline drawing of their own hand and to decorate this with pattern and imagery that said something about themselves. The fourteen pieces in Making Our Mark came from these hand drawings. They are made from stainless steel and located around Ravenswood, on walls, draped on bollards etc: like gloves that have been dropped and blown by the wind. These small works link to the centrepiece sculpture, Handstanding. The whole commission can be seen as a dramatic coming together of hands to form an energetic and symbolic piece of art. 

Photographs

 Date taken:  8/1/2008
Date logged:  2/3/2007

Photographed by:
Sarah Cocke

On Site Inspection

 Date:  28/2/2007

Inspected by:
Mary Ledgard and David Hulks

Sources and References

 www.ravenswood-residents.org.uk accessed 11-May-07 / www.axisweb.org accessed 11-May-07/ /www.visualarts-ipswich.org.uk/public_art/level_3/Martin%20Heron2 (accessed 22/12/08); Flickr Rowland Shaw>Collections>Public Art>Suffolk>Ravenswood for full set of photographs of Making Marks and map. 

Database

 Date entered:  10/5/2007

Data inputter:
David Hulks and Richard Cocke