“A striking stainless steel sculpture of a Barn Owl clutching its caught prey. Commissioned for Bristol University's Royal Fort Gardens.”
Commissioned for the historic and picturesque Royal Fort Gardens at Bristol University, this site-specific installation brings a touch of wild, uncompromising nature to the manicured landscape.
The sculpture captures the decisive aftermath of a nocturnal hunt between a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and a Common Rat (Rattus norvegicus). Rather than a mid-air strike, the piece freezes the moment of capture: the owl stands victorious on its perch, its left foot gripping the steel edge while its right talons are sunk firmly into the body of the caught rat.
Crafted entirely from stainless steel, the piece is a masterclass in textural storytelling. To create the owl, I contrasted the smooth, haunting curve of its signature facial disk with a heavily bead-welded body to replicate soft, silent down. The folded wings are formed from meticulously layered, smooth steel plates. The rat shares this bead-welded texture to mimic coarse fur, its limp form emphasising the weight of the prey. Mounted on a tall, minimalist square steel column, the organic forms of the animals stand out sharply against the sky and surrounding foliage.
