'It really is something special': Hove Plinth unveiled on seafront

Symbols encapsulating Hove now adorn a new sculpture which was unveiled on the seafront this week.
Hove Plinth has been unveiled on the seafrontHove Plinth has been unveiled on the seafront
Hove Plinth has been unveiled on the seafront

After five years of planning and fundraising by Hove Civic Society, the Hove Plinth and its first sculpture have finally come to fruition.

The concept was inspired by the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London, and will host new sculpture every 12 to 18 months.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The first sculpture is Constellation by Jonathan Wright, and is a celebration of Hove, featuring gilded icons representing the past and present of this part of the city.

Hove Plinth project director Karin JanzonHove Plinth project director Karin Janzon
Hove Plinth project director Karin Janzon

The icons were selected through workshops with residents, who brought their ideas to the table on 'what makes Hove, Hove'.

Mr Wright said: “A big thank you to all the people who participated in the discussions about 'What makes Hove Hove'. I was really inspired by the strong sense of identity and pride in Hove and the many ideas and stories brought to the table.

"Hove seafront is a fantastic site for public sculpture and I am honoured and incredibly excited to be the first in a line of artworks on the Hove Plinth.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Constellation features West Blatchington Windmill, an elm tree, a beach hut, a seagull, Queen Victoria and The Hove Ship to name a few.

The icons representing HoveThe icons representing Hove
The icons representing Hove

Cllr Alan Robins, lead member for culture on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "I do take issue that it's Hove ship and not the Portslade ship, but maybe it's a link with Portslade."

But he had nothing but praise for the sculpture, and said: "It is really something to see, it's beautiful. For visitors and locals alike it really does lift your mood when you see it.

"It really is something special."

On the launch of the plinth after five years of hard work, project director Karin Janzon said: "I am over the moon, I am so pleased. I think this is a fantastic addition to Hove.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Hove Civic Society is very proud to have got this far through a very long and arduous process. It just shows with perseverance you can achieve this.

"People thought we were mad when we started this, but a little bit of madness can go a long way."

There will be a public launch at 2pm tomorrow (April 21), attended by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove and hosted by presenter Vince Venus, with live music from the Swing Ninjas.

There will also be a display of art created by the children of St Andrew's Primary School on the theme of 'what I like about living in Hove'.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The public will also be able to hear the sculpture talk on their mobile devices, as the plinth is set up with a 'call me' button for mobile phones and the icons were created with 3D scanning and 3D printing technology, even including a live scan of a local skateboarder.

The next phase of the Hove Plinth project will be to find permanent sites across the city for sculptures coming off the plinth, and build up a legacy sculpture trail over time.

To find out more about Hove Plinth, visit: www.hoveplinth.org.uk

Related topics: