Press Cuttings

LAND OF THE GIANTS: April Fool’s Day came early to Harrogate’s Valley Gardens with a spoof exhibition to convinvce the public it was being turned into a permanent sculpture park Local Artists Steve Blaylock and Antony Sturgiss were behind the stunt. The pair have already made a name for themselves by producing metal masterpices under the banner of their Tubal Cain Contemporary Arts Foundation and Studio Twelve Sculpture Yesterday visitors were stunned to find a giant spider and wasps dominating the view. There were problems getting some of the giant metal flowers in place. But the spider turned out to be a magnet for younger visitors.

- published Friday March 30th 2000

SCULPTOR Steve Blaylock, who aspires to create a colossal work of art for Leeds, has visited a proposed site to produce virtual images of an 80ft owl with a 100ft wingspan. He has carried out a site survey at Holbeck Triangle - the site once earmarked for the Brick Man sculpture in the 1980s. “We want to find the best site for it,” he said. “Holbeck Triangle itself isn’t a bad site but probably not as good as people thought it was 15 years ago. A lot of development work has gone on since then.”A colossal sculpture would be a tourist attraction and so we need good public access to it and car parking. Holbeck Triangle is surrounded by railway track.” Mr Blaylock, 39, of Killinghall, Harrogate has had encouraging talks with Yorkshire Arts about his project and plans to apply for a development grant from the organisation. He estimates it would cost £30,000 for him to produce six 10ft owls in various positions which he would hope to display in Leeds city art gallery. “I would ask the people of Leeds to choose the best owl,” he said. “I want to mountthe full size owl on a wooden plinth which could be made into a bridgeover a river, or canal or railway line. FINANCE: ”I would hope to get some private finance for it,” he said. “I hope to find engineering companies in Leeds or Yorkshire who could build a huge steel owl.” A city council spokeswoman said: “If somebody came forward with a proposal for a public scilpture, it would be considered in the normal way. A structure on this scale would need planning permission and issues of funding, location and availabiltiy of land would need to be addressed.”

- published Friday 27th June 2003

A GIANT steel owl sculpture modelled on Harry Potter’s owl, Hedwig, may get a permanent home in York, thanks to the Friends of Rowntree Park. The snowy owl, which boasts a 16ft 6in wingspan, was made by Steve Blaylock for Harrogate Odeon Cinema tp celebrate the launch of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, last November. But because the cinema is a Grade 2 listed building, the 18-stone bird was denied a roost there, and for the past three months it has been on temporay display at Harlow Carr Gardens, Harrogate. Now the Friends Of Rowntree Park organisation has applied to Fishergate, Bishophill and Knavesmire ward committees for money to buy the owl so it can be given a permanent home in York. The sculpture, which helped launch the Royal Mail’s new bird of prey stamp collection in Harrogate, would normally cost £8,500 but Mr. Blaylock is only charging the group £5,000 because he wants it to go to a good home. Alison Sinclair, chairwoman of the Friends of Rowntree Park, said “I think the owl is wonderful and the park would provide a perfect home for him. We just hope we get enough money to buy him. Years ago people who lived near the park used to hear owls hooting but we haven’t heard them for a long time now, and so we want the steal owl to take their place.” Mr Blaylock said: “I will be really pleased if the sculpture goes to York because it would be in a public place, where hundreds and hundreds of people could see it, and that is exactly what it was made for.” The Friends of Rowntree Park will find out if their grant applications have been successful next month.

- published Monday 20th January 2003