The trail is a finalist in the Time & Leisure Magazine Food & Culture Awards 2021 in the ‘Most Innovative Arts / Community Project’ category.

From August to October 2021, Kingston Sculpture Trail brought seven exciting temporary public artworks by world-class artists to the town centre.

Over 1700 local residents and visitors of the trail voted for their favourite sculpture, and with 51% of the public vote we’re delighted to announce the winning artwork on the trail is Party Animal by Alex R T Davies MRSS.

Davies wins a £10k prize and his sculpture will be installed in a suitable location in the town centre for all to enjoy in early 2022.

It’s been a great experience being involved in the Kingston Sculpture Trail, made all the better by the positive feedback I have had and of course winning the vote.  It is a real honour to have a sculpture chosen to be permanently sited in Kingston, a town that I have visited many times growing up in Surrey, having worked there as a teenager, to now having my own business and workshop so close.

Alex R T Davies MRSS, artist

A great choice, and good to have a local artist. This is Kingston’s version of the boar statue near the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The nose of “Porcellino” is golden from the number of tourists rubbing it for luck; the cone on the back of Alex’s goat is going to be just as shiny. It’s going to be a very popular piece.”

David Mach RA, artist and creator of ‘Out of Order’ (1989)

selection panel

Earlier this year, an open call invited artists from Kingston and beyond to submit an entry for the trail. The winning sculptures were chosen by a selection panel, chaired by renowned international artist David Mach RA (Out of Order, 1989). The panel also included Paul Stafford FRSS Hon Fellow KU, Mayor of Kingston Sushila Abraham, KU School of Art lecturer Angela Ford and two local students from Kingston Academy and Tiffin Girls School.

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Swipe across to take a look at the seven sculptures which were selected for the trail: 

“Announcing the winner of the first-ever Kingston Sculpture Trail is a proud moment for all the partners who helped bring this exciting, collaborative project to life. The trail brought a wealth of public art to Kingston and created new experiences for visitors and residents alike, building on our shared vision for the town centre’s streets and spaces. The incredible legacy of the trail is this brilliant piece of permanent public artwork which will be enjoyed for many years to come. Congratulations to the artist and thank you to everyone who visited the trail and voted for their favourite sculpture.”

– Kirsten Henly, Chief Executive Kingston First

“As an artist, educator and resident of Kingston for over 30 years, I am very proud of our town and how it has grown in confidence and developed, whilst supporting culture and the arts. I hope that our Kingston Sculpture Trail will add to the experience of both residents and visitors and enhance their enjoyment of the riverside and town centre. We are fortunate in that we have attracted interest from extremely high quality, world class artists, who want to be a part of our continuing story. I hope everyone enjoys these new artworks as much as we have enjoyed selecting them.”

– Paul Stafford, FRSS and Honorary Fellow of Kingston University

Five of the seven artists were members of the Royal Society of Sculptors. 

“Thank you to everyone who took part and voted for the amazing sculptures, and to the artists behind them. The Kingston Sculpture Trail reinforces the Council’s commitment to supporting arts and culture as an integral part of our wider economic recovery, and we are delighted that Party Animal will be around for visitors and residents to enjoy.”

– Councillor Rebekah Moll, Portfolio Holder for Culture at Kingston Council

“Alex R T Davies’ ‘Party Animal’ is a worthy winner of the public vote, a fantastic addition to the landscape of Kingston and a sculpture the local community and visitors can enjoy for years to come. It’s been a real pleasure working in partnership with Kingston First, the Royal Borough of Kingston and community groups, and for my colleagues from Kingston School of Art to be able to contribute. Our students have also enjoyed opportunities to take their work out into public settings in previous projects and I hope there is further collaboration in the future.”

– Mandy Ure, Dean at Kingston School of Art

The trail was organised through a partnership of the Canbury Community Trust, Kingston Council, Kingston First and Kingston University.

All of the trail’s branding and visual identity (including the logo, background and all supporting collateral) was created by three talented Kingston University students; Imogen Ashby, Esdras Da Costa and Sophie Smith. On behalf of the sculpture trail partners we would like to thank them for all their hard work and fantastic creative ideas throughout this process.

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