Public art in Jennett's Park - submission C

The art feature is located by the crossing point junction of the walkway near the playground areas.

The dandelion and dragon sculpture has a fun element appropriate to the location while linking to the themes of the other sculptures proposed in Jennett’s Park.

Both the dandelion and dragonfly have meaning and cultural significance.

Dandelions are some of the most widespread and common flowers around the world and are a valuable source of nectar for pollinators. The greatest symbolism of the Dandelion comes from its unique puffball seed head rather than its yellow flower. Children and adults alike around the world pick the puffball, known as a clock in America and Europe, and blow the seeds away while making a wish. This has given the flower a strong association with hope, optimism, and wishes. The sunny appearance of the bright yellow flower also further strengthens this association, especially in Asian countries like Japan.

Dragonfly meaning and symbolism includes opportunity, transformation, spontaneity, ancient wisdom, and other mystical qualities. These winged insects have fascinated people for thousands of years. In fact, the dragonfly spirit animal is a powerful totem that appears in the spiritual beliefs of many cultures. The blue dragonfly symbolizes loyalty, as in a “true blue” friend. It also symbolizes trust, faith, and wisdom. Blue, or turquoise, symbolizes the fifth chakra which rules our ability to connect, communicate, and express ourselves.

The Jennett’s Hill sculpture thematically links with the other art features in Peacock Meadow and Fulmar Square incorporating elements of energy, play and fitness linking to the adjacent play and sports areas promoting healthy living.

Functional art seating, interpretation and trail mapping can be incorporated into to this piece to encourage people to explore the wider Jennett’s Park.

The fulmar is a grey-white pelagic seabird, or nomad of the ocean, only coming ashore to rocky islands or desolate cliffs during the breeding season. They have a varied diet consisting of sandeels, crustaceans, small squid and jellyfish. 

Although it could possibly be mistaken for a compact herring gull, the fulmar is a virtuoso in maximising the use of draughts and troughs in wind currents, giving it a very distinctive flight action. Short bursts of stiff wing strokes alternate with accomplished gliding when the wings are held straight out like planks as it wheels over the sea or along the breeding precipice.

Like their albatross relatives, fulmars can be spotted soaring gracefully along the tops of sea cliffs and only centimetres above the water. The artwork attempts to capture the movements in flight of the fulmar.

The upper section of the columns that support the bird sculptures to have ripples simulating the movement of sea waves. This is achieved with rolled steel layers and 3D laser cutting.

The columns to have steel base plates that are chem-fixed to the concrete base poured as a narrow ‘raft’ over the underground tank structure.

The Fulmar Square sculptures visually link with the other art features in Peacock Meadow and Jennett’s Hil promoting healthy living: walking, running and cycling around Jennett’s Park.

This could be aided by further art interventions in seating, mapping and waymarkers.