Beacon Business Park - Stafford

Stafford Knot and Beacon sculpture erected at Beacon Business Park

After months of anticipation, the directors at Beacon Business Park in Stafford were pleased to finally unveil the Stafford Knot and Beacon sculpture on the 21 September 2017. Having been involved in the project from start to finish, the directors were keen to see how the finished design would look. Renowned Staffordshire sculptor Neil Wood came to oversee the installation on the roundabout between Blackheath Lane and Weston Road in Stafford.

In an online interview, Neil explains the conception, design and challenges that he faced during the process of building and erecting the latest sculpture in Staffordshire.

Anthony Elliott of Construct Films set up a time lapse camera to capture the installation 

A professional sculptor of some 30 years, Neil Wood is no stranger to abstract art, having been directly involved in nearly 50 exhibitions, projects and commissions during that time.

The original idea for the Stafford Knot and Beacon was conceived by Colin Butt, who sent the drawings to the computing and technology departments at Staffordshire University to bring the design to life. In late 2016, Chris Simmons, a director at Beacon Business Park approached Neil with the design. At that time, it was a small plastic model, no more than six inches wide. The directors at Beacon Business Park commissioned the sculpture some four and a half metres across, and entrusted Neil with the construction process. ‘Foolishly, I said ‘yes, I can do that,’ laughs Neil, in the video.

The original 3D design represents the Stafford Knot from one angle and the Beacon logo from the other, but the finished product has a very abstract quality to the design ‘If anything, it is probably the bit I like most about it’, says Neil.

‘The Stafford Knot can be seen from two angles,’ explains Neil, ‘the rest of the time, it looks fairly abstract.’

Taking over four months to produce from high-quality stainless steel, Neil says that the project has taken up nearly all his time and space in his Brocton studio.

The sculpture, which was funded by the directors of Beacon Business Park and installed on the roundabout with assistance from Staffordshire County Council, has been met with great approval from the residents of Stafford and visitors to the business park alike. ‘I have enjoyed working on it. I’ve had some very positive comments from people driving past. It feels great to have something that I can put my name to in public display’ said Neil.

To find out more about Neil Wood, you can visit his website: www.neilwoodsculpture.co.uk

For more information contact Berners Marketing on 01785 859 995 or email info@bernersmarketing.com.

Share on social media