Public invited to have their say on Horsham Shelley memorial
A public consultation has started on a memorial to commemorate Percy Bysshe Shelley
The public are being invited to have their say and help choose a statue to commemorate the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Four artists have been shortlisted with their designs on display in Horsham Museum and Art Gallery from 20 February to 6 April.
The designs have been put forward for Horsham Park in West Sussex.
They are invited to vote, in order of preference, on how each design concept best meets the criteria set out by the commissioning panel.
The Shelley Memorial Project is still fundraising to pay for the memorial's installation.
Bullied at Eton and nicknamed Mad Shelley, Horsham-born Shelley grew up to be an avowed atheist, an anti-establishment political radical and early pioneer of vegetarianism and free love.
The artists and concepts are:
David A Annand – a simple design sculpture of a stainless-steel chaise-longue on an art deco cloud design with a bronze figure of Shelley reclining and reading.
The Broadbent Studio – a memorial which celebrates Shelley’s poem ‘Ode to the West Wind’ featuring a metal sculpture which sees the energising autumn wind shaking up waves, clouds and leaves.
Vincent Gray – a neo-classical design with a quill, reflecting Shelley’s philosophies and vision.
Robert Ward – a group of three different sculptures set in front of mirrored surfaces to reflect, both literally and metaphorically, Shelley’s enduring legacy.
The Shelley Memorial Project, a community group based in Horsham, the town most associated with Shelley’s birth and early life, was formed in 2018 to celebrate and commemorate the life and work of Horsham's most famous citizen and his connection with the historical, market town in West Sussex.
David Hide, Chair of the Shelley Memorial Project, said:
“We are delighted that we can now open the public vote for our permanent memorial to Shelley and engage more broadly with the general public to select a great public artwork, as a lasting source of pride and inspiration to our local community and beyond.
"The Memorial will also celebrate Horsham's place in our national cultural heritage.”
The Shelley Memorial Project has secured the support of Horsham District Council which has agreed to the installation of the selected memorial at the centre of Horsham Park.