SHIP

SHIP is a sculpture created by Anna Gillespie as part of the Morecambe Bay Partnership's Headland to Headspace project. It was designed to reflect the area's maritime heritage which stretches from Viking and Roman times through to the people who travel to Ireland on the ferries from Heysham Port.

The sculpture sits on the shore of Half Moon Bay, the boundary between land and sea, and is based on the skeleton of a ships hull. It is made from corten steel which gradually rusts over time to form a protective barrier to the steel. At either end of the sculpture sit two figures who look in opposite directions, one look towards the future (Heysham Nuclear Power Station) and the other towards the past (St Patrick's Chapel).

SHIP appears to grow from the landscape and the chosen materials will change over time blending into the surrounding landscape. The artist's work often explores the relationships between humans and their environment and in the case of SHIP Gillespie spoke of a desire to create something that linked to the history and spirit of Heysham while offering a space for contemporary reflection.

“I developed the idea of a simple ship with people sitting on it, up high to see out over the Bay.

It's what people do when they sit at the sea, and contemplate.

It's what the sea does to you, gives you a break and space.

Hopefully people are going to see this when they look at the sculpture.”

Anna Gillespie Artist

On the day of our visit, it was raining and grey which gave the sculpture a bit of an eerie feel, and it will no doubt have a different atmosphere on sunny days or at sunset / sunrise, which is something I love about it. Each time you visit it will look different and produce different emotions in you.