Fred update

What is the purpose of a civic monument.? How do we see it, how do we relate to the space it occupies, how do we look at it?

A civic statue undergoes a transformation of colour, shape and texture. Does it become more or less of a monument?


The stone statue of James Steel ( a former mayor of Carlisle) is covered in a knitted ‘cosy’, turning the plain stone statue in to a brightly coloured emblem

ARTIST’S STATEMENT- Jenni Danson


I have a fascination with the spaces that we do not see. In particular public spaces and public statues that we pass in our everyday lives but whose presence we ignore. My work interferes with these neglected spaces and makes them more visible. This alters our perception of the object in the space and the space it occupies.

Use of textiles (knitting and twined threads) brings a feminist element to public spaces that are masculine in conception, design and construction. Knitting softens the hard masculine lines and brings the viewer to question the object hidden below.

The use of colour contradicts our idea of the ‘normal’ for public memorial sculpture.