The First Ever
Full-Figure Statue of Virginia Woolf
A Sculpture of Virginia Woolf Seated on a Bench
Virginia Woolf lived in the Borough of Richmond Uppon
Thames with her husband Leonard for 10 years and founded the Hogarth
Press there.
It was an incredibly productive period of her life when she began
experimenting with writing novels. Celebrating her influence on
modernist literature, this statue will act as a lasting and interactive
memorial to her genius.
Spearheaded by Richmond resident Cheryl Robson - a publisher, author
and film-maker who launched the Virginia Prize for Literature in 2009
via her Aurora Metro Arts & Media charity, the campaign to raise
£50,000 in funds for a statue of Virginia Woolf is now underway.
Planning permission was applied for and granted after successful public
consultation. Council members are excited about the project, a number
of local and
international volunteers have come on-board, and award-winning sculptor
Laury Dizengremel was commissioned to create the artwork.
Funds are now being raised by members of the Virginia Woolf Statue
Committee for this public artwork which will be donated to Richmond
Council in due course.
Laury, whose latest commissions were the David
'Bomber' Pearce Memorial for Newport in Wales unveiled in June of
2018, and a statue of Lancelot 'Capability'
Brown unveiled 24th May, 2017 in Hammersmith on Distillery Wharf,
is
the type of entrepreneurial artist who likes a challenge.
"I have raised an advance loan and will personally help fundraise the
first £10,000 for this commission, because I am utterly convinced
Virginia Woolf fans the world over are going to get behind the project.
Virginia Woolf is iconic. There are busts of her - but nothing like
what we are planning. The public will be able to sit with Virginia on a
bench looking onto the Thames. That is going to be a serious 'wow' and
allow for meaningful interaction."
And Cheryl to add: "Women are completely under-represented in public
sculptures in Britain. You had to be a queen or a naked muse to merit
being depicted. We see our Virginia artwork as an attempt to begin
redressing this imbalance."
Donations to the project are welcome via a Paypal "Donate" button at
http://aurorametro.org/virginia-woolf-statue/ which is the charity's
website page for this project.
For further information / interviews please contact:
Cheryl Robson: cheryl@aurorametro.com
Laury Dizengremel: ask@laurydizengremel.com +44 07725 555 048
And see FB: https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaWoolfStatue/
This statue is currently
being worked on by sculptor Laury
Dizengremel.
There is a bust of Virginia Woolf in Tavistock square, and several
other busts in other places, but this is a full-figure portrayal
believed to be the first ever.
The intended location for this sculpture of the
modernist author Virginia Woolf is the river side of the Thames in
Richmond Upon Thames (just outside London).
Beside Richmond Bridge is an area
known as the Terraces which looks over the boat landings. This is
where the public artwork commission portraying the author seated on a
bench will be sited.
Composed of a bench upon which the sculpture of Virginia Woolf is
seated, this is a public artwork that can be interacted with by
residents and visitors. Anyone enjoying the area can sit next to
Virginia Woolf who is portrayed in one of her relaxed and happy
moments, seated by the river on a summer's day.
Laury Dizengremel is creating the sculpture as an artist-led
initiative before all of the funding has been secured.
You can click below to make a donation to Aurora Metro Arts & Media
charity for the Virginia Woolf Statue fund.
The sculpture of
Virginia Woolf seated on a bench by the river in Richmond Upon Thames
by sculptor Laury Dizengremel
Photo
credit: Laury Dizengremel
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