An acclaimed artist has been selected to create a stunning new permanent sculpture occupying a prominent waterfront location in Hull’s Fruit Market.
Annabel McCourt was chosen for her proposal Resonant Tides (After the Strike), following an open call which attracted more than 70 applications from artists across the UK and beyond.
The sculpture will take inspiration from Hull’s links with J. Arthur Rank and the famous gong associated with the Rank Organisation, as well as the Fruit Market’s location where the River Hull meets the Humber estuary.
Annabel is an international contemporary artist whose work includes large-scale public art, installations, photography and film. She already has strong links with Hull – her Electric Fence installation was commissioned for Hull UK City of Culture 2017 and has since been shown internationally, including at the Dak’Art Biennale in Senegal.
Her work has also been exhibited in Brazil, Australia and China, as well as across the UK.
The sculpture will be installed close to the Stage @TheDock amphitheatre, on a raised area overlooking the water and near key routes into the Fruit Market from Hull’s Old Town and the east bank of the River Hull.
Annabel, who is from Grimsby, was one of three artists and artist teams shortlisted for the commission.
The shortlisted artists were invited to visit the Fruit Market before developing their final proposals, which they presented to the commissioning panel. Each brought a very different approach to the brief, with three strong ideas for the site.
Annabel’s successful proposal has a fascinating link back to Hull.
J. Arthur Rank was born into the family flour milling business, which had a mill close to the River Hull and later became associated with Rank Hovis. He went on to become one of the biggest names in British cinema, establishing the Rank Organisation, whose films began with an opening sequence depicting a shirtless man striking a huge gong.
The sculpture is envisioned as a deconstructed gong made up of nine large-scale segments. These rise from the platform in a series of arcs, ribbons and fractured planes, suggesting a tidal wave, a ship’s prow or a sound ripple caught in motion.
There is another connection to the Rank Organisation and to the waterfront location in the sculpture’s title. One of Rank’s early film productions was Turn of the Tide, released in 1935 and centred on a Yorkshire fishing community.
Annabel said: “This commission feels like a real full-circle moment. Hull has been an important part of my career, from my early days at Hull Time Based Arts and working with the BBC, to Electric Fence for UK City of Culture 2017, my show at Humber Street Gallery and more recent work with Freedom Festival.
“It’s a privilege to create a sculpture for this particular location. Hull has shaped me and so many other artists over the years, and continues to support new talent. I want the sculpture to capture some of that energy, as well as the movement and change where the rivers meet.”
The artwork has been commissioned and will be funded by Hull-based regeneration company Wykeland Group, which is based in the Fruit Market, the Brignall family, and Wykeland’s Managing Director, Dominic Gibbons.
Wykeland has driven forward the transformation of the Fruit Market over recent years and developed, owns and operates the Stage @TheDock amphitheatre. The commission is part of Wykeland’s continuing commitment to culture and the arts, which has played a key role in the Fruit Market’s regeneration.
Wykeland was founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist the late Dr Jack Brignall MBE, and Wykeland and the Brignall family, through their charitable trust, have built on his legacy with long-standing support for Hull through a range of charitable, community and cultural projects.
These include support for the arts and creative activity in the Fruit Market and across the city. The new artwork is being dedicated to Jack and his late wife Beryl.
Mr Gibbons said: “Culture and the arts have played a critical role in the successful transformation of the Fruit Market into a thriving urban village.
“This commission continues our commitment to supporting Hull’s cultural life and to putting the Fruit Market at the very heart of it. It will bring a significant new piece of public art to a very special part of the city.
“We would like to thank our Community Engagement Consultant Elaine Burke for guiding us through the whole process and Dave McLeavy, CEO and Artistic Director of Humber Street Gallery, who joined the decision-making panel alongside Sarah Brignall and our Culture & Events Manager, Natalia Blogg. Their depth of knowledge and professionalism was fundamental to get the project to this stage.”
Sarah Brignall, one of Jack Brignall’s daughters, said: “I am proud to be involved in the project and the family are excited to support this ambitious new artwork which celebrates the spirit of the Fruit Market and of the city of Hull.
“This sculpture will be a new artistic landmark at a key location on the waterfront where it will be experienced by people every day. Annabel’s creative concept has such a strong connection to Hull and we’re delighted to be helping to bring it to life.”
The budget for all elements of the commission, including artist fees, design, materials, fabrication, production and installation, is £72,500.
More details about the artwork and installation will be released as the project progresses through the detailed design and planning process.