Organism sculpture by Andrew McKneown

Organism is situated on the Top Prom of Saltburn by-the-Sea and if your legs are up to it then you can take the 201 steps up, otherwise jump on the funicular/cliff tramway. I must thank the artist Andrew McKeown for his insights and use of his photos.

This sculpture Organism may have you puzzled as to what it actually is. Let me quell your excitement! It is a diatom which has an explanation on the Jewels of the Sea post in Seaham.

“Diatoms are single-celled, have an opaque appearance, are made from a form of glass (opaline silica), and are minute. The diatoms are neither plants nor animals and produce 20% of the oxygen we breathe. They form an important part of the food chain for marine and freshwater plankton. They are asexual, and some have dense cell walls, which cause them to sink rapidly.”

This diatom could be Amphitetras antediluviana

The creator is Andrew McKeown (born 1970) from Teesside. He is a sculptor specialising in commissions and private work throughout the UK. Andrew graduated in 1993 from Coventry University with a BA (Hons) Fine Art (sculpture) at Coventry University. He has quite a few works in the area; The People's Lamp at Bowburn is terrific. They are site-specific installations, so you should notice a connection with the area.

Mr McKeown's technique is to make moulds and Organism is Cast Steel with Bronze Patina.

From Andrew's website:

"[..] I would acknowledge Oldenburg greatly as he has inspired many artists to play with the scale of familiar objects often enlarging them. I have taken this into natural form and the invisible world of bacteria and plankton."

Also Mr Keown explianed:

"One of the reasons I chose this particular type of diatom is it forms in chains and this meant I could gain height with it and extend the sculpture upwards. It also had an interesting shape that I liked."

I'm sure this sculpture has an intentional jaunty angle to it.

The website also states:

“Organism is a sculpture that has been created in the same way that colonies of chain forming diatoms reproduce. Duplicate casts have been formed from the mother pattern and joined together in a chain to reflect the regenerative properties of the oceanic food chains. This sculpture makes the microscopic iconic and it aims to highlight the key role algae has in the health of this planet.”

An interesting article came up recently by Chris Riches from the Daily Express:

“Did you know that dust, hair, fibres and bacteria can leave traces on a perpetrator, a weapon or a body - but tracing them in water like ponds or rivers are extremely difficult. Up steps diatoms. Crucially for forensics, they also build very specific communities in specific locations - so if found on a person, clothing or weapon they can be easily tracked back to prove they were there. r Scott explained: "The beauty of diatoms is that they are so abundant and can be mapped to certain places and environments, meaning they are almost like eyewitnesses." Diatoms are tiny one-celled algae, too small to see with the naked eye. They have many uses but according to a recent climate change research paper, they are one of the world's most powerful resources for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. They absorb an estimated 10-20bn tonnes every year, equal to the amount of carbon captured annually by all of the world's rainforests. And as an added bonus, they also give off oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis”

So when it is mentioned in a film featuring forensics, you'll know what they are on about!

Mr McKeown also created Fossils, which you can see nearby at the lookout point. These are Ammonites, which are found in the area. They date back 66 million years and their chambered shell were used for Buoyancy. As they grew, they moved their entire body into a new, larger chamber and sealed off the old one.

These Ammonites were cast from Iron, which is a reference to the iron ore that was mined in the area.

There are also some stone ones in the Fossil Garden adjacent.

. The photos below are used with permission from Mr McKeown. They show the Fossil Garden when it was first created. More photos and information on his website - www.andrew.mcKeown.com

Some of these works were commissioned by Saltburn Forward and Groundwork South Tees who work with marine biology.

This is a super photo of Fossil at the View Point courtesy of Andrew himself. The perfect spot for contemplation eh!

There is a fine perambulation along the top where you can bump into the Henry Pease statue and take a stroll into town. Of course, the funicular is a must, and other ideas can be found on the Fabulous North map.