Sculptures are not intrinsic with human heros. They can be of selkies, birds, abstracts, or of generic humans such as vikings, or their ships, or Orcadian old boats such as were built in Canada in the 1700/1800 period called york boats. Some sculptures represent different things to different people...the more abstract pieces for example. Seems that the monument building over there, the Cathedral aside, occurred many thousands of years ago. One cannot deny that they (standing stones, maeshowe etc) are a major attraction, and the focal point for much of what art is in Orkney expressed on canvas and jewelry and some of the excellent photos we see from Charles Tait and others. And Orkney has it's share of writers to be sure. Seems that the first form of sculpture in the primitive pasts, here amongst our natives and in Africa for example, employ wood as a medium. Perhaps one of the reasons why sculptures are rare in Orkney is that there isn't much wood laying around, and seemingly never in the past five thousand years or so, has there been. Many who start carving wood eventually consider stone later. But it's a new day, and maybe someone will sculpt a giant Viking or Selkie or some bird of prey from bronze or stone, and give the people there something to contemplate and admire and discuss. Sounds to me like at least one chap there with that talent has the inclination, and that is a good sign in this writers opinion. cheers...Stephen On Oct 1, 2007, at 10:02 AM, Sian Thomas wrote: > And some may say that the St Magnus Cathedral, was, in itself, a > fitting > tribute to "St Magnus". And Happy Valley is to Edwin Harrold. > > As for public sculptures - I'm not sure whether the "people of > Orkney" even > *want* traditional public sculpture as a representation of past > "heroes". > Different cultures have different ways of representations. I don't > think > that has been part of the "orkney tradition" (see above!). > Monuments yes, > traditional "figure" sculptures, no. > > Tourists might like the public art, but I'm not so sure it would > win many > votes (in a non political sense) from local folk. > > Sian > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Norman Tulloch" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 11:36 AM > Subject: Re: [ORCADIA] Names and links with Canada > > >> Tuck wrote: >>> >>> Where is a sculpture of St. Magnus, just for starters? At the >>> site of >>> his martyrdom there is a stone plinth which seems to cry out for an >>> image of him to stand against the sky. And such an image could be >>> easily cast twice, the second of which ought to stand before the >>> Cathedral. >>> > >> I feel there's a serious danger that sculptures of St Magnus et al >> could >> be both sentimental and fanciful. >> >> I'd agree with Sian on the Longhope lifeboat memorial, though; I too >> find it moving. >> >> Norman Tulloch >> >> >> _______________________________________ >> Orcadia Group Photo Album >> http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > _______________________________________ > Orcadia Group Photo Album > http://tinyurl.com/28bx9x > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ORCADIA- > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message