‘Heaven Sent’ Sculpture unveiled at Plymouth University

For five days from 4th March until 9th March, Plymouth University will play host to a stunning and exciting sculpture. ‘Heaven Sent’, a sculpture by locally based artist, Simon Ruscoe, will be unveiled in the Levinsky Building on the main campus, standing on a plinth which will be specially designed to collect donations for NSPCC. At the same time a ‘not for profit’ crowd funding campaign will be in action.

Alison Armer, Community Fundraising Manager at NSPCC for Devon and Cornwall said; “I was delighted when Simon contacted me to say that he would like the NSPCC to benefit from donations received from the public, during the time that his “Heaven Sent” sculpture will be on display. I am sure there will be many who will be impressed and moved by the beautiful sculpture, and hopefully show their appreciation and support for the NSPCC, by making a donation in the box.”

Ruscoe, a Senior Technician at the University has been quietly making sculptures for over twenty years, creating and building a substantial body of work often charged with controversial themes and emotive narratives. His giant metal sculptures have been exhibited across the south west and in London.

Looking back at Ruscoe’s oeuvre a genuine seeking for meaning and truth is evident. However, this latest sculpture, ‘Heaven Sent’, is powerfully symbolic of ‘hope’ in contemporary times and the most significant of Ruscoe’s sculptures to date.

It is a pivotal piece. It underpins his creative ethos in a remarkable way in that it is oppositional to the bleak subject matter found in his previous work. However, funding from the Kickstarter campaign is crucial to the completion of ‘Heaven Sent’. While the figure of the mother and child pictured here can stand alone and will be on display during the campaign, his intention is to raise enough funding through the Kickstarter to sculpt two additional life-size figures that will appear to float alongside, and this will thread together the collective sculpture’s full narrative. It will result in ‘Heaven Sent’ being a final imposing sculpture which will stand 14ft in height.

Lecturer, Writer and Editor, Dr Sally Flint, spoke about Simon Ruscoe’s sculptures. “They are thought-provoking, disquieting and memorable. He is unafraid to take on contentious themes. It will be interesting to see ‘Heaven Sent’ on display as a way to aid this series of work reaching completion while benefiting an applicable charity, the NSPCC.”

The sculpture has also enthused students too. Samuel De Noia, 3rd year 3D Design Student: ‘It’s great to see the sculpture displayed like this, and it would be great to all of Simon’s work exhibited together.’ Deborah Morris, 1st year BA Fine Art Student says, ‘It’s fascinating and inspiring.’

Simon is no stranger to siting large works ‘Only Hope Remains’, a 20-foot steel sculpture was exhibited throughout Devon during March 2013. The figures on display depicted a reaction to injustices in society, reflecting tensions and troubles that exist in our times.

The plasterwork series of sculptures are carved in plaster of paris over a steel armature. Detailed areas such as the faces are first created in clay then cast and added separately. Simon developed a unique process where the plaster is infused with a specific liquid resin cocktail, once cured, it produces a hardness similar to stone.

To back the campaign or find more information about Ruscoe’s work visit www.ruscoe.info