The winning name for the unique piece of art, which is located at the entrance to the Household Recycling Centre in Shrewsbury, has been chosen by a Shropshire resident. The artwork has been funded by Veolia.
Over thirty entries for the name of the sculpture were received following a competition to name the piece.
Entrants to the competition had to consider the significance of the site’s history and heritage and also the management of waste in the environment.
The winning entry was proposed by Nelson Priest, who lives in Ludlow. Nelson, a 24 year old student, entered the name - “Archers Affray”.
Speaking at the naming ceremony held on Tuesday 9 August, Nelson explained the reason behind the name:
“The arrows represent not only the historic battle of 1403, but also point in a new direction adding an element of forward thinking, while at the same time pointing to the earth and telling us to look after it.
“The Affray also represents the battle and our on-going fight to protect our earth and the environment. This sculpture is a great symbol for Shropshire and shows that as a county, we are passionate about our history and also the environment we live in”.
Steve Mitchell, Director for Veolia, said:
“We were delighted with the amount of creative entries we received. It was a difficult decision to pick the winner but the judges felt that Nelson’s choice of name perfectly links the battle of 1403 with the environment.
“In Shropshire we recycle over 52% of our waste, but we are always striving to achieve more. This sculpture acts as a reminder of how recycling as much as we can will help our environment.”
A plaque detailing the name will be placed next to the sculpture.
Background:
- Local artist, Jessica Jackson and Engineer Art Maker, Simon Meiklejohn spent over 650 hours working on the sculpture which is made from entirely recycled materials.
- The upcycled art is partly inspired by the internationally recognised symbol for recycling, a never ending circle of arrows.
- Pupils from Harlescott Junior School in Shrewsbury designed and made arrowheads from clay and decorated them with patterns and letters. Once these had dried they were used to create moulds for the sculpture.
- The majority of the recycled steel came from a decommissioned Victorian gas holder in Surrey which was originally built by a Shropshire company.