Last week we were pitching to St.Helens Council to help raise the profile and change perceptions of the area. I decided a little research trip was required, so I went for a look around to remind myself of what the region has to offer. Obviously I knew about the racecourse and The World of Glass, but I had never realised the impact that the award winning sculpture by Jaume Plensa, ‘Dream’ would have on me.
The first I saw of it was a brilliant white dome peeping over the trees when driving along the M62 from Manchester to Liverpool. After a short 10 minute walk through newly planted woodland, up what once was the less desirable slag heap of Sutton Manor Colliery, I rounded the corner to the most amazing vision of beauty that really took my breath away.
The sculpture comprises of a 20 meter high head of a nine year old girl in a medative state with her eyes closed. She faces south so that the sunlight travels across the contours of her face from morning to night. As you can see from my picture, with the unpredictable North West weather there is always a dramatic back drop. She stands at the same height as Gormley’s Angel of the North, whose sculptures also decorate the beaches of Crosby just down the road. In the same way that these have raised the pride and passion of the region I believe that as awareness grows, Dream will do the same for St Helen’s.
As an added bonus to the experience we won the pitch too!
