Hibiscus Rising
Hibiscus Rising | |
---|---|
David Oluwale | |
Dimensions | 950 cm (370 in) |
Location | Leeds |
53°47′33″N 1°32′31″W / 53.79250°N 1.54194°W |
Hibiscus Rising (2023) is an outdoor sculpture in
Background
The officers involved were convicted, marking the first time that British police had been held responsible for involvement in the death of a black person.
Location
Sited in Meadow Lane in Aire Park, the sculpture was unveiled as part of LEEDS 2023, the city's unofficial year of culture.[14][8] The sculpture is 9.5 metres (31 ft) tall.[15] Its depicts a giant hibiscus flower, whose surface is decorated with wax-cloth inspired designs.[16]
Aire Park is close to the David Oluwale footbridge over the River Aire, as well as Leeds Bridge, where a blue plaque also commemorates David Oluwale.[17]
Conception
The David Oluwale Memorial Association's concept was to create a memorial garden for David Oluwale with a sculpture that would inspire "conscience, altruism and hope".[18] Their brief to Yinka Shonibare outlined a meeting place that would be playful and attractive to everyone. When discussing the ideas behind the sculpture, Shonibare said that he wanted to focus on joy and healing as themes, rather than the circumstances of Oluwale's death. Drawing on a childhood in Nigeria where hibiscus flowers were commonplace, Shonibare felt that the associations of the flower with "beauty, love, empathy, passion" were fitting.[8] The flower is covered with brightly coloured batik-inspired patterns, which are a common motif in Shonibare's works.[19][20] Further inspiration for the work came from Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise".[21]
The maquette for the sculpture was previously displayed in an exhibition at The Tetley from September 2022 to January 2023. This exhibition took place after the maquette had featured in a city-wide engagement programme led by DOMA.[22] The maquette is now located in Leeds City Museum.
Reception
Co-chair of the David Oluwale Memorial Association, Emily Zobel Marshall, described the sculpture as the first public work in the city that "reflects the cultural diversity of our people".[23] She also described it as "our Angel of the North ... a landmark sculpture."[8]
During the development of the scheme, researcher and co-secretary to DOMA Max Farrar described the reasons for Oluwale's memorialisation in the following terms:
David Oluwale is not to be one of those working class people who are 'hidden from history'. He is to be remembered as both victim and agent, a man who struggled perpetually against insuperable odds to make a good life as a migrant to Britain.
— Max Farrar, Remembering David Oluwale, Leeds African Studies Bulletin no. 78[24]
Previous efforts to commemorate David Oluwale by Leeds Civic Trust's Blue Plaque scheme were vandalised in a racially motivated attack.[21][25][26] The David Oluwale footbridge was unveiled after this event.[27]
References
- ^ Airey, Tom (24 November 2023). "Leeds: David Oluwale flower sculpture unveiled in city centre". Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ISSN 0007-0955.
- Institute of Race Relations. Archived from the originalon 5 February 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Athwal, Harmit (18 October 2010). "The racism that kills". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "Remembering David Oluwale". The Justice Gap. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ^ Farrar, Max (2017). "Remembering David Oluwale | Centre for African Studies (LUCAS)". lucas.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Farrar, Max (2018) ‘David Oluwale: making his memory and debating his martyrdom’, Chapter 9 in Quentin Outram and Keith Laybourn (eds) (2018) Secular Martyrdom in Britain and Ireland — From Peterloo to the Present, London: Palgrave. / Retrieved 15 January 2024
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ A memory garden for David Oluwale: What does Leeds think? (PDF). Leeds: David Oluwale Memorial Association. 2022. p. 40.
- ^ Africanvoice (8 November 2023). "The Hibiscus Rising Gala Dinner: A Night of Remembrance and Optimism". African Voice Newspaper. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "Hibiscus Rising: The power of public art". ArtsProfessional. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Help us create a beautiful space for Yinka Shonibare's Hibiscus Rising, remembering David Oluwale". Art Fund. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Hibiscus Rising: celebrating cultural heritage inspired by the legacy of David Oluwale | The National Lottery Heritage Fund". www.heritagefund.org.uk. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "New sculpture 'Hibiscus Rising' unveiled in Aire Park". South Leeds Life (Press release). 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Leeds: David Oluwale flower sculpture unveiled in city centre". BBC News. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Date set for David Oluwale memorial sculpture unveiling". BBC News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Leeds man admits destroying David Oluwale blue plaque". BBC News. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Farrar, Max, 2017, ’A Memorial Garden for David Oluwale: Who? Why? And how?’ In Moving Worlds, A Journal of Transcultural Writings, Volume 17 Number 1,
- ^ Adeboye, Joy (27 November 2023). "Yinka Shonibare's Hibiscus Rising Was Launched in Leeds, England". Art News Africa. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Podcast | A brush with... Yinka Shonibare". The Art Newspaper – International art news and events. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Leeds: First look at David Oluwale memorial sculpture". BBC News. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Shonibare, Yinka. "Hibiscus Rising: creating a memorial for David Oluwale". yinkashonibare.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Farrar, Max (2016–2017). "Yinka Shonibare unveils 9m tall sculpture in memory of David Oluwale in Leeds Aire Park as a symbol of 'unity'". Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Remembering David Oluwale | Centre for African Studies (LUCAS)". lucas.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "David Oluwale Theft – Leeds Civic Trust". Leeds Civic Trust. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "David Oluwale: Leeds bridge remembering race harassment victim opened". BBC News. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.