The work alludes to a moment in time when memories of childhood days spent playing meet adult concerns for the future. The cardboard plane meeting the concrete plinth explores the point at which nature and culture collide.

Sculptural thesis

“Plane sight” captures a moment in time when memories of childhood days spent playing meet adult concerns for the future. The sculpture’s playful form betrays an underlying anxiety; we are witnessing the effects of human-driven climate change through a collision of materials.

The piece is as witty as it is serious and as playful as it is considered. The paper aeroplane shape is ubiquitous and iconic; many people would be familiar with their younger selves folding a sheet of paper to produce a relatively simple object capable of the wonder of flight. Casting the cardboard aeroplane in bronze connects this part of the sculpture to one of the most historically and culturally significant materials humankind has produced. The fragility and texture of the cardboard has become “fossilised” into a metallic symbol, while the sculpture as a whole could be a monument to cultural and technical achievements or governmental failures in addressing carbon emissions or limiting the spread of Covid-19. Aviation contributes tonnes of global-warming CO2, and has played a role in spreading the Covid-19 virus and its variants around the world. The shape may evoke memories of playing with simple plastic bricks to build houses, castles, towers, but as a material it has historical, cultural and, in these contemporary times, dangerous significance. During an extreme heatwave concrete buildings become “heat islands” exasperating the dangerous physiological effects of high temperatures.

The creative process in this artwork is reminiscent of humankind’s unceasing curiosity to develop and advance. This plane developed from a cardboard structure into its final bronze form which materially connects it to artworks and objects dating back to c. 2500 BCE. The shape of the wings are similar to the (now retired) supersonic delta-winged Concorde that flew passengers from London to New York in around three and a half hours. The plinth is made of concrete which, as a building material, is known to have been used as early as 6500 BCE by Nabataean traders in Syria and Jordan.

Time is precious and we know our lives are finite. For those fortunate enough to live unaffected by mental or physical health issues, property prices, or employment prospects, time may pass very differently to those counting down the days until their next welfare, or low-paid job payment. For millions of people there is no wage and there never will be a flight to a  holiday destination. As we age it often feels as if time passes faster. We may have vivid memories of happy and sad events during our childhood which may cause us anxiety when we realise how long ago those events were. As adults we will all experience loss, bereavement and grief that sometimes feels as if it will overwhelm us. Our friends tell us that “time heals everything” but no one knows how long that will take. Time is endured more than it is enjoyed. Time is something we all have less of – but our children and grandchildren may have even less to enjoy than we do today.

A note from the artist

My Experience of the NSP….

Honestly- it’s not overkill to say being a finalist for the NSP changed my life. The timing couldn’t have been better…during a lockdown living and working alone, grieving for the loss of some dear friends and generally feeling a bit down in the dumps and boom. Really, BOOM! Like a goddamn Lichtenstein painting. All of a sudden I had a reason to spring back to life again.

My friends and family started taking me and my work more seriously, I sold out of finished bronze sculptures literally overnight and made numerous smaller sales and a few commissions to boot. Even my mum gets it! Literally, I’d pop down the pub for a drink after a long days slog in the studio and regulars were giving me money for future works. I fulfilled the lifelong dream of becoming a full-time artist.

Process wise- 10 weeks is nowhere near enough to make the largest sculpture I’ve ever made in my own practice. With mould making, casting and being heavily reliant on the foundry I work with- it was a really tough deadline to meet. But I did it. I recall meeting Charlie on my first morning of installing at Broomhill and admitting to him that I hated my piece. Literally. I could really have used just one more week to titivate, not do much bar a few nips and tucks here and there…but I’ve never missed a deadline *tempting fate* and I wasn’t about to start now…

As soon as I arrived at Broomhill I felt welcome. Having returned to do a little maintenance on the sculpture recently I can say that coming to Broomhill feels a bit like coming home. If you’re anything like me Broomhill=Heaven.

The opportunities that I’ve had in the last year are hugely indebted not only to being a Finalist for the NSP but the confidence this has given me. I know who I am as an artist. I’ve been selected for exhibitions and residencies in the UK and in Spain, and I’ve been approached by government funded companies to create monumental public sculptures both in the UK and abroad. For all of this- I have the NSP and the people behind it to thank irrefutably. Charlie and Jacqui. Alex and Michele. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. [Thank you from us as well, Laura - we’re so proud of you and your work! AFK3]

Curators note

In less than a year following the National Sculpture Prize 2021, exhibiting artist @Laura_Such has been jumping forward, left, right, and back across the art world and in her art itself. With multiple exhibitions, residencies, sales and commissions, she still finds time to explore dormant and new ideas further. She is a flamboyant individual with perseverance and a peculiar ability to think outside normality. In her work, you see new meanings behind every-day, absurd, and humorous objects, and these forms can liberate you from a dulled way of thinking. ‘Plane Sight’, is one such exhibition at Broomhill Estate and was Laura’s largest bronze casting to date.