Salisbury BID, with funding from Arts Council England, has commissioned artist Tim Scrace to create a new, temporary sculpture to be installed on Salisbury’s High Street this week (17 May). Entitled ‘This Too Will Pass’ the sculpture celebrates the themes of movement and reflection and incorporates hand-selected stones from Salisbury Cathedral’s works yard.

Installation will be complete by Friday 21 May and the sculpture will remain in place throughout the summer. The installation is part of Salisbury BID’s ongoing support for local businesses, particularly as they reopen after three months of lockdown, supporting a vibrant city centre that attracts both residents and visitors to Salisbury’s independent businesses and hospitality venues.

The competition-wining multi-form structure is made from contrasting materials including polished stainless steel, recycled paper and local Chilmark stone. The sculpture is in three parts and encourages people to move between the inter-related parts inviting them to stop and reflect. What do we want to remember from the past? Where are we currently, in body and mind?  What do we wish to change for the future?

Over the summer Tim will collaborate with students from Wiltshire College who will be on hand during the weekends to encourage the public to interact with the work and respond to the questions using chalk.

Salisbury BID originally commissioned the sculpture as part of City on the Move, the 800^th anniversary celebrations of Salisbury Cathedral last year, but installation was delayed by the closure of non-essential businesses during the pandemic.

Tim Scrace said: “I am keen for the sculpture to be interactive, a place and a platform for the community to reflect on the past, make sense of this moment and to build a better future.”

The sculpture is funded by Arts Council England’s National Lottery Funding Grant.

At a time of change and reopening, TTWP and Turning Point, a sculpture by John Maine, recently installed in the Guildhall Square, offer both a temporary and permanent opportunity for reflection and optimism.

Salisbury’s celebration of the creative art of sculpture continues from the city into Salisbury Cathedral and the Cathedral Close where three further sculptures will continue to be displayed throughout the year: GRIP (Net) by Anthony Gormley, Formation I (The Dappled Light of the Sun) by Conrad Shawcross and Skystation by Peter Newman.

Robin McGowan of Salisbury BID said: “We’re delighted with Tim’s imaginative design for Salisbury’s High Street and look forward to seeing residents and visitors engaging with the sculpture as they come into the city for shopping, eating and drinking, with many of our businesses reopening following the recent lockdowns.”

Deborah Fox, owner of local gallery, café and gift shop Fisherton Mill, said: “It is so exciting to see our cityscape being enlivened by this locally designed, interactive artwork for the summer season. Visitors and locals alike are now so much more appreciative of the outdoors and Salisbury is very blessed with vibrant and historic streets and our High Street views will be further enhanced with this addition.”

Robert Titley, Chair of Salisbury Cathedral’s Arts Advisory Committee and Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral said: “It is wonderful to see Cathedral stone used in this new work. The builders of our Cathedral were driven by faith and hope, and they reached out for something beyond the everyday. We see that same spirit in this installation, and it’s a spirit we all need as we look forward from this hardest of years.”

Jess Gibbons, Wiltshire Council Director, Community and Neighbourhood services, said: “We are delighted to have been able to help facilitate the installation of this interactive sculpture in an area of Salisbury where it will be seen by a large number of people. Although this piece of art was initially developed as part of the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral commemoration, the theme of ‘This Too Will Pass’ is particularly relevant and poignant given the events of the last year or so. We hope that residents and visitors to the city take the opportunity to interact with the sculpture and it enables them to reflect on their own past, present and future.”

Salisbury Mayor Elect Councillor Caroline Corbin said: “Salisbury is excited about welcoming residents and visitors safely back into the city centre this summer as lockdown measures ease. This interactive sculpture will be an additional attraction, giving people a chance to reflect on the past but also to envisage a bright and optimistic future for us all.”

The following people and organisations helped bring the sculpture to life: 

Salisbury Cathedral Works Yard, Salisbury Joinery, Wiltshire Creative, Deborah Fox, James Gough, RDF Lighting, Richlite, Stormboard, RNC Fabrications, Wiltshire Council, Salisbury City Council, Design Pit, Signs Express.