By Isle of Wight Observer
A new sculpture, a set of welded metal trees, has taken root in Sandown Bay this autumn, part of a growing public art trail around the edges of Browns Golf Course.
The Common Space commissioned Island artist Dave Badman to create an entrance feature at the edge of the course.
Dave worked with 200 metres of steel bars or ‘rebar’ to form two matching trees after being inspired by the Sandown Story Quest book, Shrewbert & Iris, A Tale of Two Tails, and its colourful illustrations by Lucia Para.
Ian Boyd at The Common Space said: “Dave’s fantastic new sculptures are on a former section of the course. Over the years, we have maintained a series of small works such as these, along with planting coastal wildflowers and the Iris Gardens, events and even the Story Trails. The aim, our Iris Manifesto in fact, has always been to highlight the distinctiveness of this corner of the Bay, to make spaces more diverse and interesting for residents, visitors and for wildlife. We have a background in commissioning art for public realm across the Island and have also planted a lot of trees Island-wide over the years, so Dave’s re-welded trees feels like a perfect commission! When time and funds allow, we’ll add more sculptures along the way.”
