Louth Art Trail

Artists: Les Bicknell and Laurence Edwards, Howard Bowcott, Simon Percival
Location: Louth, Lincolnshire

Commissioned by Louth Town Council, with the support of Commissions East, four artists focused on Louth's historical and cultural heritage to create an art trail throughout the town.

In Westgate Fields, Howard Bowcott produced sculptures in the form of four giant carved wooden leaves. 'Oak Leaf', 'Beech Leaf', 'Horse Chestnut Leaf' and 'London Plane Leaf' are sculptures intended to encourage walkers to venture off the main path, but also serve as seating areas.

Simon Percival produced three pieces on the River Lud and Navigational Canal. 'Wave Sculpture' (an impressive structure alongside the riverside path), 'Wind Direction Indicator' (a 5.5 metre high sculpture which gently rotates with the changing winds) and 'Riverhead Seating' (a series of seats echoing the boats and bridges of the River Lud).

Working together, Les Bicknell and Laurence Edwards created a series of bronze and steel figures for the town centre, each discovering and contemplating the Greenwich Meridian Line, which divides Louth into east and west. In 'Searching', 'Mapping', 'Solution', the figures illustrate man’s attempt to understand this concept.

In conjunction to the commission of new work, Commissions East presented a professional development course for visual artists living or working in the East Midlands. The course aimed to stimulate discussion between commissioners and artists, explore the role of community involvement in public art projects and profile best practice. Follow the link on the right to download the Louth Art Trail Artist Seminar Report as a PDF.