The Guardian 3 Mono

Overlooking the Welsh Valleys village of Six Bells and standing 20 metres tall The Guardian is a monument created to commemorate the mining disaster... more

by Steve Purnell

Title

The Guardian 3 Mono

Artist

Steve Purnell

Medium

Photograph

Description

Overlooking the Welsh Valleys village of Six Bells and standing 20 metres tall The Guardian is a monument created to commemorate the mining disaster at Six Bells Colliery on 28 June 1960 killing 45 of the 48 miners working on the in the West District of the Old Coal Seam. The cause was an explosion from the ignition of firedamp.
Designed and created by artist Sebastien Boyesen and built for the 50th anniversaty of the disaster in 2010 the sculpture is constructed from over 20,000 strips of Cor-Ten steel welded together to create a stunning monument that stands proudly on a sandstone plinth. The detail that has been created using this remarkable technique allows for the incredible facial features, muscle definition and hair to be clearly visible; and even the trousers appear soft and flowing even though fabricated from steel.
Viewed from a distance the figure of the miner has a transparent, almost ghostly quality, allowing it to blend into the heavily wooded landscape setting. Only when viewed up close, does the figure appear solid and the true presence of Guardian can be fully appreciated.

Uploaded

June 22nd, 2014