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The artist selected to create a sculpture in front of the Esplanade Hotel was Andrew Rowe. The artist wanted to reflect Porthcawl’s identity as a popular holiday destination, and his design was for a functional giant sundial, 8 metres in diameter.
Each of the radiating hour lines ends with a metal chair – a curved steel shape reminiscent of a deck chair. The seats are made of galvanised steel painted with a copper rich paint and washed with a verdigris colour to suggest age. The central gnomon, which creates the shadow, is more intricate. Its shape is based on a dropped ice cream cone, made up of numerous forged components which create an open lattice work effect. However these separate elements can also be viewed in their own right as decorative patterns.
Andrew also worked with two poets, Emyr Lewis and Nigel Jenkins, to create site specific poems, which can be read on each of the seats in stainless steel lettering. In a mixture of Welsh and English, these poems reflect Porthcawl’s seaside location for residents and visitors, past and present, with references to the Miners Eisteddfod, annual holidays, and the concepts of time, reflection and relaxation. |
