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'Celestial alignment' sculptures to be installed

Jessica Moriarty
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Persimmon A computer generated image of what the installation will look like. It is a large, 13 foot tall sculpture made of stone. It is shaped irregularly like a leaf, with two large holes towards the top. A man is stood on the right, admiring the sculpture. It is a sunny day and there are lots of mature trees in the background.Persimmon
The "eye holes" of one of the sculptures have been set to align with Procyon - the eighth-brightest star

Huge sculptures which "echo the celestial alignments" of the night sky will be installed as part of a development of up to 1,000 new homes.

Developer Persimmon Homes was obliged to present a project for a public art installation as part of the West Warminster Urban Extension (WWUE) scheme in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Council has granted planning permission for the two huge leaf sculptures to be placed on either side of the site, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One will be rendered in knapped flint to pay homage to the flintstone embedded across the local landscape and the nearby Cley Hill landmark.

Persimmon A computer generated image showing a side by side of what the installations will look like. The image on the left shows an irregular leaf shape, rendered with brown, orange, and white flintstones. On the right it shows how the sculpture will be secured into the ground, with a concrete stand sitting below the ground surface.Persimmon
A computer generated image showing what the two installations will look like

Under proposals for urban extension on the western outskirts of the town, 1,000 new homes, schools, and children's play areas will also be built.

The first installation, to be located near the Victoria Road Junction, will be a four- metre (13ft) tall stone megalith carved in the shape of an oak leaf with two round eye holes.

According to artist Simon Periton, it will be positioned so that Cley Hill and potentially the setting of Procyon - the eighth-brightest star - will be visible through the holes.

Procyon lies 11.4 light-years from Earth, and appears in the night sky as a bright yellow-white subgiant.

Persimmon A computer generated image of what the installation will look like. It is a large, 13 foot tall sculpture made of stone. It is shaped irregularly like a leaf, with two large holes towards the top. A man is stood on the left, admiring the sculpture, which is positioned in a grassy field with homes and trees in the background.Persimmon
One of the sculptures will be a four-metre (13ft) tall stone megalith carved in the shape of an oak leaf

The second, flint clad installation will be located near the site's eastern connection with Bath Road.

The application states: "It is argued that the two installations would help unite and create a sense of place and book end the WWUE site as gateway sculptures.

"Ultimately, the two sculptures should complement one another, both visually and materially.

"The alignment between them across the site encouraging visitors to navigate the site and echoing the celestial alignments that occur in the night sky."

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