Slate Sails, Cardiff

2001

This sculpture is tucked away amidst housing at Chandler’s Quay, beside the River Ely near Penarth Marina, but this location makes the discovery of its setting by the river all the more of a delight.

Built from many thousands of thin slates, each cut and shaped to create the form of billowing sails, the sculpture stands as two columns, each 5m high. Walking through the passage between the columns draws the viewer into the sculpture, the layers of Welsh slate and the crafted labour of its construction.

Its proper title ‘Working A Passage’ refers to the practice of working on a ship to pay for one’s journey, as well as the workmanship inherent in shaping and stacking the slate to create the columns. But these days, everyone just calls it the Slate Sails!

Read More

Read Less